Faith
by shelly321
Summary: Post ATY. S/V. Author's Note added - should I continue?
1. Default Chapter

The story picks up right after Sydney and Vaughn are caught on the opposite sides of the door in ATY. This is just the prologue and the actual story will pick up a few weeks later. Let me know what you think and if I should keep going.  
  
******  
  
As much faith as he had in Sydney, he knew that her battle against the inch thick glass the that stood between the two of them was fruitless - she'd never be able to break the glass and even if she did, the water wouldn't drain out fast enough and he sure wasn't fitting through that window. If he ever wanted to breathe fresh air again, he had to find some other way out the current hell he was swimming in.  
  
On the dry side of the door, Sydney struggled against the door - pounding on it with all her might, ignoring the pain as her whole body shook with each blow - reverberating against the non-moving steel door.  
  
Watching him slam into the door was the worst part - the unfelt force of it almost knocking her off her feet. Before her was another man she loved - even she only admitted that in herself - helpless and for all she knew dying. Images of Danny in the bathtub and Noah in her arms flashed through her head. And now Vaughn. She couldn't help but fell responsible and presently, utterly helpless.  
  
Vaughn locked eyes with her once through the window and then he was gone - the black water swirling in his place. When she was hit from behind she didn't have the energy to fight back - strength spent trying to save Vaughn. Her thoughts clouded together as she lost consciousness: Danny, Noah, Vaughn. all gone.  
  
Blackness.  
  
******  
  
Vaughn pushed against the water, fighting his way to the top. In the ceiling he found what he was looking for, a vent leading to an air duct that was hopefully big enough for him to fit through. The screw driver he carried in his pocket (who knew what they were going to encounter in Teipei - certainly not this) was there when he reached for it and he was able to undo the screws enough to reach in and pry it the rest of the way off.  
  
He had been able to get enough air next to the vent but by the time he finally climbed high enough to feel safe, his lungs were aching from lack of oxygen and pure physical exertion. After a short rest, he starting crawling to his left - away from the direction the water had just come from - hoping he was going the right way.  
  
Fifteen minutes later, Vaughn was lowering himself out of the ceiling and into a dark hallway. He heard a sound to his right and couldn't turn fast enough before he felt the butt of a gun smash into the base of his skull.  
  
Blackness.  
  
******  
  
Sydney woke to cold water hitting her face. Spitting and gasping, she tried to focus on the person in front of her.  
  
"Wake up, sleepy head."  
  
Sark.  
  
Tensing her arms to test the strength of her restraints, she was disappointed to find there was no give.  
  
"Don't worry, love," Sark smirked, "They're tight enough so you won't have to strain yourself trying to hurt me."  
  
Sydney glared back at him, silent.  
  
"It's a pity you don't have anything to say. I figured you would want to beg for your friend's life."  
  
It was then that Sydney noticed the figure slumped on the floor at her feet, Sark's gun trained at the person's head.  
  
Vaughn.  
  
Clothes still wet from the earlier "swim" with a pool of dark blood on the back of his head - matting his hair together - he looked like shit but Sydney knew that he had never looked so good. Not that she wanted Sark to know that.  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
"Ahh, Sydney, I knew you would come around," Sark nudged Vaughn with his toe and then swiftly kicked him in the side, causing Sydney to flinch and Vaughn to writhe in pain, "Just making sure Agent Vaughn doesn't take us by surprise. I hate surprises. Except for you, love, I was quite happy to find you in my custody."  
  
"What do you want," Sydney repeated, spitting the words out like poison.  
  
"Patience, dear Sydney," Sark smacked her sharply across the cheek with his free hand, "You don't want to make me angry."  
  
Sark walked across the room and knocked on the door to Sydney's left.  
  
"We have plans for you that still need some time to work out so you are just going to have to sit tight for a little while."  
  
The door swung open and two guards came in, walked over to Vaughn and dragged him off from the floor. They maneuvered him behind Sydney and it took all her willpower to keep from turning her head to see what they were doing with him. She got her answer soon enough as she felt another chair hit hers and Vaughn's head knock against the back of hers.  
  
"I'll let Agent Vaughn live a little longer," Sark said, bending forward and bringing his face within inches of Sydney's, "I have a feeling that his being alive might back you a little more cooperative. But he is expendable, don't forget that, love."  
  
Sydney stared at on spot on the wall behind Sark's head and felt her stomach lurch has Sark leaned in and ran his tongue across her lower lip.  
  
"I'll be back soon, love."  
  
Sydney glared at Sark's back as he follow the two other men out the door and waited until she heard lock click into place before she started vigorously moving her arms, trying to loosen the ropes twisted around them.  
  
"Vaughn! Are you all right," Sydney said urgently.  
  
She could feel water (or blood) dripping from his hair onto her back - the mesh shirt she was wearing blocking nothing from soaking into her skin. Sydney felt Vaughn jerk and his head, still resting against hers, fell to one side as he started coughing.  
  
"Sydney."  
  
Her name came quietly from behind her.  
  
"Vaughn," Sydney felt the tears spring up into her eyes, "I thought you were dead."  
  
"I feel like I might be," Vaughn's voice rasped, "I think I have a couple broken ribs."  
  
Sydney strained against her chair and stretched her left hand out as far as it would go, her fingertips brushed against Vaughn's.  
  
"I'm so sorry."  
  
"It's okay, I'll live," Vaughn gave a little laugh, "How are you?"  
  
"Better than you it sounds like, though my head is killing me and I can't move a muscle," Sydney's felt Vaughn's fingers close around the tops of hers, causing her to smile, "Well, maybe a couple muscles."  
  
Vaughn smiled, glad to be able to touch her, even if they were tied up in an unknown location, not missing the irony of the situation. "So, you thought I was dead, huh? Did you miss me?"  
  
Sydney's finger slipped from Vaughn's hold and curled around the top of his hand. Swallowing hard and pushing the images of Danny and Noah from her mind, Sydney spoke the closest thing to the truth that she could, "Yes. You're my guardian angel, what would I do without you? You weren't in the window anymore and I just gave up, I'd lost another."  
  
"Another what?"  
  
"Another person I cared about, another person I couldn't save."  
  
"Sydney, if anyone could have saved me, it was you," Vaughn leaned his head back against Sydney's, "But it was an impossible situation, even for you. I knew that and I knew I had to find another way out."  
  
"I'm glad that you didn't leave it up to me then, else you would have been dead," Sydney sighed, "Of course, we aren't in the best situation at the moment are we?"  
  
Vaughn laughed, "We'll make it - I have faith."  
  
"Vaughn," Sydney whispered, "Thank you for coming with me."  
  
Vaughn sighed, knowing there was nothing he wouldn't do for the woman behind him and knowing that it could end up getting him killed, "Anytime."  
  
On the other side of the door the sound of gunfire interrupted their conversation and Sydney stretched her other hand to grab onto Vaughn's.  
  
The overhead lights, already dimly lit, flicked twice and then went out.  
  
Blackness. 


	2. Chapter 1

It was a beautiful day. One of those days where you are just happy to be outside and throw your head back, eyes closed, to feel the breeze on your face.  
  
Sydney was driving out to the warehouse for the first time after returning from Taipei. Vaughn had called 15 minutes earlier and Sydney had heard the eagerness in his voice. It was certainly in her own reply, causing Francie to raise a questioning eyebrow at her politeness to the millionth wrong- number phone call. Sydney had shrugged and said she felt like going for a run on the beach - an activity Francie would despise on first-mention.  
  
Taipei felt like a distant memory. Almost like it hadn't happen and if it weren't for Will, Sydney would have gladly forgotten that it happened. Well, most of it - the time with Vaughn, tied together, wasn't so horrible in spite of the situation.  
  
In the two weeks since landing at a private, CIA-run, airstrip outside of L.A., Will had decided to join the Agency to avoid the witness protection program. Either option held and uncertain future, but at least one of the options allowed him contact with his friends and family.  
  
Vaughn, after receiving a severe reprimand from Devlin in the form of a grueling 2-hour conversation, was assigned as Will's handler. Typical agents didn't have handlers but Will's situation made him a special case. He was expected to go on with life as normal while working for the CIA without anyone knowing it. Vaughn also got to remain in his position as Sydney's handler, thanks to Jack Bristow's insistence. But strict protocol was once again demanded and Vaughn was not allowed to contact Sydney unless absolutely necessary. Since personal interest and desires didn't rank very high on the CIA's list of necessities, Vaughn hadn't seen Sydney in 14 days and it was killing him.  
  
*******  
  
The gunfire in the hallway turned out to have been initiated by Jack Bristow, which was not a big surprise to Vaughn who had no doubt Jack was not about to leave Taipei without his daughter. Vaughn could just be glad he was tied in the same room, as he was certain Jack's loyalties were not as strong with him.  
  
Jack had burst into their room and made quick work of untying Sydney from her chair with the help of a 4-inch steel blade. Sydney, in turn, cut Vaughn free and tucked one arm around him to pull him up and out of the chair. Much to his chagrin, Vaughn wasn't able to walk without her help and had to put a lot of his weight onto the woman next to him. If Sydney noticed, she certainly didn't let on or let it slow her down.  
  
Jack was at the door yelling for them to hurry and tossing a gun into Sydney's free hand. Vaughn grimaced in pain as Sydney tugged him out the door but managed to get his legs to move in the proper direction, matching her speed pretty well.  
  
A series of hallways led them to back alleyway and a waiting van. Jack jumped into the driver's seat as Sydney pulled Vaughn into the side door. Vaughn managed to reach up and slam the door as Jack pulled away and out into the street.  
  
"Thanks, Dad."  
  
"Don't mention it, kiddo," Jack called from the front seat.  
  
"Where's Will?"  
  
"Waiting in the airport hanger with the plane and a guard," Jack explained, "When you didn't come and meet us, I figured something might have happened and he wasn't in the best shape for a rescue."  
  
"Is he all right?"  
  
"He'll be fine. It's nothing worse than what you've gone through before, but since he doesn't have any past experience with this it might take him a little longer to get over."  
  
Vaughn listened to the father/daughter exchange, marveling in how, just a year ago, Sydney would not have been talking to her father about her friend and Jack would not have expressed an interest in Will's well-being. Granted, he would not have been recovering from a near drowning and broken ribs either. The thought made Vaughn smile, funny what a girl could do to you.  
  
"What are you smiling for," Sydney had turned her attention back to the man currently resting against her legs. Neither of them had moved since piling into the van and neither seemed bothered by the closeness.  
  
"Nothing," Vaughn smiled wider, "Guess I am just happy to be alive."  
  
"We'll see how you feel after I tape up those ribs, Dixon always tells me it was a good thing I didn't go into medicine," Sydney smiled, "Of course I always tell him that at least I have a good bed-side manner."  
  
Vaughn laughed as Sydney's face reddened. As inappropriate has it was, Vaughn couldn't help but reach for her hand and give it a squeeze. Something about his near-death experience had opened the floodgates of his emotions and his openness to letting them be known.  
  
"Sydney," Jack's voice was stern from the front-seat, "We're at the hanger, you'll need to jump out and open the door."  
  
Sydney dropped Vaughn's hand and carefully extracted herself from behind him. Swinging her legs around and sliding the door open in the same motion, she jumped from the van and ran to the sliding, steel door in front of van. A slight tug got it moving and out of the way, making enough room for the van to drive in. By the time Vaughn was getting himself into a sitting position, Sydney had slammed the door closed and was standing in front of him.  
  
"Need a hand?"  
  
"I think I can manage, as long as there is no running involved this time."  
  
"Nope, just bandaging and rest," Sydney smiled, Vaughn's easiness in the van had rubbed off on her, "I'm going to go check on Will and then I will come back and fix you up."  
  
Vaughn watched her walk past her father, giving his arm a squeeze as she passed, and over to a cot in the corner of the building where Will was wrapped in a blanket. Jack had made sure Will was well-drugged when he left so he would not remember or feel much of his current pain. Sydney sat on the cot and brushed her hand over Will's hair. Vaughn felt a small pang of jealousy but quickly pushed it aside, it was silly to be jealous of Sydney's concern for one of her closest friends.  
  
Jack watched Vaughn's reacted to Sydney's checking on Will and noticed flash of jealousy but was impressed when it was quickly replaced with a look of respect and admiration. Jack knew that Agent Vaughn must have feelings for his daughter and wasn't as concerned over them as others in the Agency would have been. Jack knew that emotions muddied the water when it came to operations, but they also helped when it came to making the right decisions and taking chances for a loved one. Didn't Jack know that love and not protocol had brought him along to help his daughter. Doing what was wise would have kept him in L.A. waiting for further contact from "The Man" and probably further risking Will's life in the process.  
  
Jack liked Vaughn but he wasn't ready to let him know it - not yet.  
  
"Agent Vaughn, how are you feeling?"  
  
Vaughn shifted his gaze from Sydney to Jack, "Like I almost drowned and someone kicked me and broke a couple ribs."  
  
Jack smiled and nodded, "Sounds about right to me."  
  
While Sydney cleaned Will up a little more, Vaughn filled Jack in on what had happened from when they had all been together last until Jack had burst into their "prison." He wasn't too certain on what Sark had said to Sydney, but he thought he had caught most of the conversation. Jack listened and nodded from time to time, but didn't say a word. After a few minutes, Jack excused himself to go talk to the guard who would also be their pilot back to the States.  
  
"Looks like Will is going to be all right, though I see he had a visit to the dentist," Sydney frowned and tapped her own cheek, "I wouldn't want to go through that again. I think that pain alone will make him hate me."  
  
Vaughn offered a small smile, "He won't hate you. If it weren't for you he would have more problems than a sore mouth, you know that."  
  
"I know, I just hate that I got him dragged into this," Sydney sighed as she opened the passenger-side door of the van to set down the first aide kit she had brought for Vaughn, "That I got both of you dragged into this."  
  
Vaughn locked eyes with Sydney and shook his head, "I volunteered for this - you didn't make me come! Do you remember that? Don't blame yourself for this. Besides, if I had run faster I would have gotten locked on the wrong side the door and we wouldn't be having this conversation so if anyone is to blame it is my gym teacher, Mr. Tampico, who let us walk around the track in 8th grade gym."  
  
"Well, thanks," Sydney said, giving Vaughn the smile he had been hoping for, "I still feel bad though, and you might change your mind after I bandage you up. Shirt."  
  
Vaughn rolled his eyes and reached to pull his shirt over his head - at least he didn't have to deal with the long, leather jacket, he had long ago discarded in the air duct - but the shirt was hard enough and a sharp pain in his left side caused him to stop halfway.  
  
"I think I might need your help again."  
  
Sydney was trying to keep her mind clear but even a small glimpse of the body she normally saw cover by suits dress shirts, caused her to lose her focus just a little. She may have been a top agent but she was human, a woman to be exact and Vaughn was definitely a man. 'Good lord,' she thought, 'I feel like a teenager, what the hell am I thinking?'  
  
Sydney reached out and helped slide the soft cotton up Vaughn's chest, bunching it under his armpit. "Can you hold it there?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
Sydney turned her full attention to the matter at hand and scowled at what she saw. A dark purple bruise was starting to spread across Vaughn's entire left side and his ribcage didn't look entirely smooth.  
  
"Shit, that looks like it hurts."  
  
"I'll live," Vaughn shrugged.  
  
"I hope so."  
  
Sydney grabbed some gauze and tape from the kit and used them to cover most of the bruised area. Vaughn's pulse quickened each time her hand smoothed over the tape, half over the bandage and half on his bare skin. Trying to remember that they were in Taipei on a mission that was likely to get him fired, Vaughn pushed thoughts of Sydney that were definitely not mission- related, out of his mind.  
  
Next came the cloth bandage, which had to be wrapped tightly around his entire abdomen for support and protection. To start the bandage, Sydney held the loose end against Vaughn's chest and reached behind him to pull the roll around and over itself to hold, a position that caused her to step forward, closer to Vaughn.  
  
Vaughn looked up from the bandage to Sydney's face and smiled at finding her intent on getting the bandage positioned just right, not once looking up, which was probably a good thing since it would have brought her lips within inches of his own - not that they were too far away as it were. Each loop around his back brought her a bit closer to him and by the time she fastened the bandage, she was standing intimately between his legs.  
  
Through the whole process, Vaughn hadn't taken his eyes off of her, waiting for her to stop and look at him. When she finally did, there were tears in her eyes.  
  
"Syd, what's wrong, don't cry."  
  
Sydney didn't say anything and just stood there, looking into Vaughn's eyes, her hands against his chest. Vaughn reach up and tucked the hair from her blue wig behind her ear and cupped her cheek with his hand. His eyes were full of worry but he didn't want to push her. They just looked into each others' eyes, caught in the moment.  
  
"I'm okay," Sydney finally broke the silence, "Sorry. I'm fine."  
  
Vaughn decided not to pursue the matter but left it for another time since it looked like they would actually have time for more conversations in the future. Conversations where they weren't dressed in leather, or in Taipei, or running from a face-less enemy. Vaughn smiled and brushed his thumb back and forth across her cheek and saw a cut on her other cheek. Reaching up with his other hand, he lightly touched the mark, aware of Sydney's wince of pain.  
  
"What's this?"  
  
"Sark," Sydney said dully, "What an ass."  
  
"Can I return the doctoring favor?"  
  
"It's nothing," Sydney said dismissively, wanting to regain her composure, thankful Vaughn had let her off the hook from a potential emotional meltdown - they had time for that later.  
  
"From where I am standing it's not nothing Sydney, it should be cleaned up," Vaughn said seriously, "Who knows what kind of bacteria Sark is carrying."  
  
Sydney smiled, though it didn't reach her eyes and sighed, "Fine, but don't expect that you can bill be for this."  
  
Vaughn just laughed and reached into the first aide kit to get an alcohol swab. Sydney turned her head to give him better access to the cut and closed her eyes to prepare for the inevitable sting.  
  
Vaughn leaned forward and place a gentle hand on her cheek before dabbed along the edges of the cut and wiping over the cut itself. Once he deemed the cut bacteria-free, he selected a small plastic suture from the kit and stuck it to his "patient's" cheek.  
  
"There you go, all better," Vaughn said and without really thinking, leaned further in and kissed her cheek.  
  
Vaughn pulled back, just slightly and waited for her reaction. Sydney turned back towards Vaughn, and let her lips brush over his. Vaughn threw the used alcohol wipe back behind Sydney and placed his hands on her hips to pull her back between his legs. Despite the inappropriateness of their actions given the situation they were in, neither made a move to stop what was happening.  
  
Sydney lifted her hands and intertwined them behind Vaughn's neck and brought her mouth roughly to his. Vaughn met her kiss with equal hunger and pulled her closer yet, not wanting to leave anything between them. Sydney's tongue darted out to run across Vaughn's lower lip, which she then sucked on, pulling it between her own.  
  
"Sydney," a voice called out, not from Vaughn, but from the cot across the room.  
  
Sydney and Vaughn froze, thankfully hidden from view by the open passenger door. Sydney pulled her hands down from Vaughn's neck and pushed against his chest to separate them, causing Vaughn to let out a small yelp of pain. 'Sorry,' she mouthed, grinning sheepishly.  
  
Vaughn leaned in for a quick kiss before letting Sydney go to check on Will. Sighing, he stood up from the van's cargo doorway and noticed Jack standing in the doorway of the main hanger - looking like he had gotten quite a show. Vaughn cleared his throat and smiled sheepishly.  
  
"So, what's the verdict, are we getting out of here?"  
  
"Not soon enough, it looks like," Jack narrowed his eyes, he may like Vaughn but he wasn't going to let him off the hook so easily, they were still on a mission after all, "Why don't you come out here and get on the plane, I'll help Sydney with Will."  
  
Vaughn nodded, not bothering to respond, hoping that gesture appeared cooler than anything he could have said. Glancing over at Sydney and Will, Vaughn smiled and made his way through the doorway Jack had been standing in.  
  
The flight back was uneventful. Will moaned most of the time, but didn't complain once, due to the heavy doses of painkillers Jack kept pumping into him.  
  
After landing, they were met by a small CIA delegation made up of Devlin, Weiss and a few other familiar faces. Jack had called ahead and explained the entire situation to Devlin who was upset but a little more understanding than he had been 12 hours earlier when he found out that Sydney, Vaughn and Jack had left the country.  
  
Vaughn was to be taken to a CIA hospital to have his ribs cheeked out and to go through some tests to make sure he hadn't been swimming in something other than water. Sydney was going with Will to a different CIA hospital with higher security where both of them would be safe.  
  
Before the vehicles taking each of them left, Vaughn caught Sydney's eye and looked purposefully to the back of one of the vans. Sydney understood his meaning and walked back to meet him. Knowing there wasn't much time and not knowing when he would see her again, Vaughn said the only thing he could think of to ease her mind.  
  
"Have faith, everything's going to be all right."  
  
Sydney smiled, "I love you."  
  
She had one-uped him.  
  
******  
  
That was the last time they had talked to each other. Devlin had made it impossible for Vaughn to call Sydney until he gave his go-ahead. He thought the separation would be good for them, put things into perspective, which it did, but not in the way he intended.  
  
While they hadn't gotten to see or speak to each other again, Vaughn had managed to get a message to Sydney.  
  
Sydney had gotten home from class one afternoon to find Francie waiting to pounce on her.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me about Mr. British Literature, Joe?"  
  
"Who?"  
  
"What do you mean, who," Francie laughed at her friend, "Joe Miranda from your British Literature class, the one who you asked to drop his notes off here from the class you missed last week. He said to tell you that he would be your guardian angel anytime. Don't tell me you don't know this guy - what a hottie."  
  
"A hottie? How old are we?" Sydney smiled, realizing who "Joe" really was.  
  
"Please, girl, you have class with him, don't you have eyes? He was beautiful - a hottie!"  
  
Sydney conceded, "Okay, you're right, he's a hottie. So where are the notes, I should probably copy them down."  
  
Francie grabbed a folder off the kitchen counter. "Here you go. Better go give your guardian angel a thank you call."  
  
Sydney just rolled her eyes and took the folder Francie was holding out to her. Her heart was racing as she walked the short hallway to her room. Once inside she closed the door behind her and threw the folder open, curious what Vaughn had wanted to tell her.  
  
Inside the folder were four sheets of paper, filled with actual notes on British poets. Sydney read the notes, trying to see what Vaughn's message was. And then she noticed that a few of the letters on each page were lightly underlined. Collecting them in her mind she put together the simple, yet powerful message: 'I love you, too.'  
  
******  
  
Yes, after two weeks she was certainly ready to lay her eyes on Vaughn. As she pulled into the warehouses' parking lot, she took a deep breath and tried to clear her mind.  
  
A few moments later she was inside the building and walking back towards the normal meeting place.  
  
"Hey." 


	3. Chapter Two

Still getting the fluff out of the system, the next chapter should be more action-packed. But don't worry, I won't forget about the romance.  
  
I definitely welcome your reviews - thanks in advance!  
  
******  
  
Chapter Two  
  
Vaughn heard her footsteps behind him, closing the distance between them. He couldn't help the smile that instantly found a home on his face - just thinking about her caused him to smile, having her in the same room made him want to jump for joy. But reminding himself why they were there in the first place brought back a look of serious intent.  
  
"Hey," Sydney breathed out.  
  
Vaughn turned to face her and let his gaze wander down and back up her body - even in running clothes she looked good. Of course, she could have been in a muumuu and he would still have given her a once-over.  
  
"Hey, Syd."  
  
He was wearing another suit, his normal "uniform" a far cry from the leather he had looked so good in the last time she had seen him, but damn, he looked even better than she remembered, two weeks seemed like forever. Sydney shifted her weight from one foot to the other, suddenly nervous. Lifting her hand and running it through her hair, she smiled cautiously.  
  
"Hey, you."  
  
The air around them was thick with unspoken words that neither one knew how to say or where to start. Declarations of love aside, this was new territory and they certainly didn't have a roadmap to guide them in the right direction.  
  
Vaughn was the first to break the silence, "You look good, Syd."  
  
Sydney smiled wider, "Thanks. You, too. How are your ribs?"  
  
"Still a little sore but not too bad," Vaughn patted his side, "None the worse for the wear."  
  
"I'm glad," Sydney said, "So, what's up?"  
  
Vaughn didn't want to launch into his new "mission" for Sydney quite yet, not sure of how she would react and having other things on his mind that he wanted to say first.  
  
"In a minute I'll tell you about your next CIA assignment, but first I have something I want to talk about," Vaughn explained.  
  
"What do you want to talk about?"  
  
Vaughn swallowed and continued, "Us."  
  
Sydney smiled again, "That sounds like something I would like to talk about."  
  
Vaughn turned and walked over to a crate and sat down, patting another one to his left. Once Sydney was seated next to him, facing his direction, he took her right hand in both of his and lifted it to his mouth, pressed it against his lips and brought it back down to his lap.  
  
"It's good to touch you again," Vaughn said quietly, "But you know this isn't going to work normally. We can't."  
  
"Vaughn," Sydney lifted her free hand to his cheek, running her thumb across his lips. For once she found it appropriate to use his first name, "Michael, I know, but whatever it is you are going to say won't change how I feel about you and I don't think it will change how you feel about me. We may not have a normal relationship, hell, I wouldn't even say we have a relationship, yet. But, what we do have, whatever it is, is real. And even in the midst of the hell we are in on a daily basis - knowing that you are on my side is enough to keep me going. Even before Taipei, you were one of the best things in my life and the only true thing - you're the only person who knows all of me. So we'll figure it out, who needs normal, anyway?"  
  
Vaughn brought one hand up to his face and covered her hand that was there. He closed his eyes, reminding himself of what he needed to say later but decided it could wait a few more minutes. Opening his eyes he brought both of her hands together, between them and leaned forward to place a simple kiss on her lips.  
  
Sydney knew that he hadn't yet said his peace but also knew that he would get around to it eventually and until then she might as well enjoy their time together. Loosening her hands from his hold she brought them up to either side of his face, framing it. There faces were still a breath apart, neither having moved after Vaughn had kissed her and Sydney let her tongue dart out to tickle his lower lip.  
  
That was all Vaughn needed; in one swift motion he reached out and pulled Sydney onto his lap, ignoring the voice that told him two things: a) he was definitely not thinking clearly, and b) the crate probably wasn't made to hold the both of them. Common sense wasn't something he had been in the practice of listening to lately.  
  
Besides, Sydney didn't give him much time to think before she began kissing him with a passion and fervor unmatched by any she had felt before. With Danny or Noah she had always been able to take when she wanted to take - to act on her desires and attraction, but with Vaughn she had held back - a comforting hand on the shoulder was even something to be avoided.  
  
Vaughn ran his fingers through her long, brown hair - hair he had wanted to touch for months - knowing it would be as silky as it looked. Sydney shifted slightly, pulling herself closer to Vaughn, not wanted there to be any space between them. Vaughn's mouth left hers and he made his way down her neck, he could feel her pulse racing and the knowledge that he caused such an effect on her exhilarated him.  
  
"So, you love me, huh," Sydney said, letting a smile spread over her face, "When did you want to talk about that one?"  
  
Vaughn groaned, not wanting to stop what he was doing, even if it was to talk about his feelings. At the moment feelings were over-rated. He lifted his head to meet her gaze.  
  
"I believe you were the first one to bring the subject up, Miss Bristow."  
  
"Yes, I was but who knew if I'd get to see you again, I had to give you something in the way of hope. An inspirational statement if you will."  
  
"So, that's all it was," Vaughn skimmed his lips over her exposed collarbone, "Words to inspire - not confessions of true emotion."  
  
Sydney murmured something undistinguishable as Vaughn nibbled on her flesh.  
  
"Well, Syd, you have definitely inspired me," Vaughn laughed and wrapped his arms around her he pulled her closer yet and tucked his chin over her shoulder.  
  
"As much as I want to continue this, Francie will be sending out the search team if I'm not back in a little while, I'm supposed to be out for a run," Sydney returned Vaughn's tight embrace. "What were you going to say about us?"  
  
Vaughn sighed and pushed back from Sydney, looking into her dark brown eyes. "Right. What was I going to say? Oh, I remember. we can't have a typical relationship, but that doesn't mean we can't have one at all. You are important to me, Lord knows I have I risked enough already on your behalf, and I am not going to stop caring, or loving you, now. So, we'll just have to figure things out as we go. Is that all right with you?"  
  
"Sounds perfect," Sydney grinned, "Now, that wasn't so hard, was it - when I first came in here I thought you had changed your mind or something terrible had happened and you were going to tell me something awful."  
  
"Well," Vaughn paused, not sure where to start with the rest of what he had to say, "That's the thing, that wasn't quite all I had to say, that was the easy part."  
  
Sydney frowned and managed to gracefully extract herself from Vaughn's lap and walked across the room to sit on a table opposite from where he was - being apart from him would help her think more clearly.  
  
Vaughn continued, "It's not that what I have to say is so terrible, but I am not sure what you are going to think about it and it puts our already precarious situation on a whole new level of complexity. But Devlin thinks the plan is for the best."  
  
"Vaughn, just tell me what it is and let me decide how to react," Sydney was touched that he was worried about her reaction but her curiosity was getting the better of her. "Please."  
  
Vaughn stood up and started pacing back and forth in front of Sydney, "Well, you know that Will decided to join the CIA and that I am his handler, right?"  
  
"Yes, I should've asked how he is, have you seen him?"  
  
"He's doing fine, Syd. Training is going well and he is scoring above average on the capabilities tests - both physically and intellectually. But it's not so much his ability to be an agent, but his ability to survive day- to-day, keeping his cover and staying away from 'the man.' Devlin wants someone watching him, with him, on a regular basis but with personal contact, not just your usual surveillance team."  
  
Sydney wasn't surprised that this was the case, she figured Will wasn't going to be able to live a normal CIA agent life, whatever that was, but wasn't sure why Vaughn was explaining it to her. Maybe she would have to explain it to Will, not that she expected he trusted her much after what had happened. "Ok, that sounds typical to me."  
  
"I guess it is to be expected," Vaughn swallowed, not sure of what to say next. "Devlin decided to have an agent pose as Will's girlfriend. We talked over many different agents and approached Will with a few but he didn't seem too open to the idea - didn't like not knowing them and having to pretend to be in love - a very important factor in making this look real. Given that Will doesn't have experience in that area we, or Devlin really, decided on another solution that makes sense, I guess."  
  
"What is it, Vaughn?"  
  
"Well, Will said he would be comfortable if you were the agent acting as his girlfriend," Vaughn looked Sydney in the eye, "Devlin brought you up as he was aware of Will's feelings for you having watched the tape of your conversation at the safe house."  
  
Sydney felt a knot growing in her stomach, this is what Vaughn hadn't wanted to tell her and for good reason. It was bad enough that Will had gotten pulled into this life, but to further screw things up, she was being asked to convince the world that she was in love with him. And the person who would be orchestrating their "relationship" would be the real man she loved - life was pretty fucked up.  
  
"Are you serious," Sydney asked, "Of course you are. It would make sense in any other situation, it's almost ideal since our being together wouldn't raise any suspicions. But, God, he's always been in love with me and he's not experienced at this kind of thing - how's he going to separate fact from fiction, romantic love from the love that I do feel for him?"  
  
"I know, Sydney," Vaughn rubbed a hand across his forehead, massaging his temple, "But I have been racking my brain to think of another option and I can't see one other than Will changing his mind about one of the other agents or him not getting personal protection, an option I am sure you wouldn't be able to deal with anyway. I told Devlin I'd ask you, but I think we both know that you are going to do it."  
  
"How could I not," Sydney looked into Vaughn's eyes with a pained look, "This doesn't make 'us' any easier, does it? Shit."  
  
"You can say that again," Vaughn said, turning away from Sydney, "But what you said earlier is true, it doesn't change how I feel about you or how you feel about me; you were right about that. But we knew it wasn't going to be normal, we just didn't know how screwed up it would be."  
  
Sydney stretched her leg out to nudge Vaughn with her toe, "Hey, come here."  
  
Vaughn turned around and walked to where Sydney was sitting on the table, standing in front of her, arms flat at his sides. Sydney reached down with both her hands and linked her fingers with Vaughn's.  
  
"We're going to be all right, remember, we just have to have faith," Sydney soothed, "Isn't that what you have been telling me?"  
  
"I know," Vaughn brought his eyes up to lock with hers, "I just can't believe this is what our next challenge is going to be. I didn't think it would come so soon. I was looking forward to having meetings alone with you."  
  
Sydney gave him an understanding smile and then tugged at his arms, pulling them around behind her and then hugging him tightly. "We'll find time. And someday we'll have all the time in the world, provided Will and I don't kill each other in a 'relationship.'"  
  
Vaughn groaned and pressed his forehead to Syndey's, "Funny."  
  
"Vaughn?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I love you," Sydney kissed him, slowly and sweetly, memorizing the taste of him.  
  
Vaughn pushed all other thoughts from his mind and focused on the beautiful woman in front of him. His tongue slipped past her lips and met with hers and the kiss deepened. Vaughn reached up and under the back of her shirt, wanting to feel her skin, knowing things couldn't go much further - not tonight and maybe not for a while. Once he had more of her he would not want to give any of her up.  
  
"I love you, too," Vaughn finally spoke, breaking away from Sydney, "I think I've know that since the day you walked into Langley - freak that you were."  
  
Sydney laughed and continued playing with the hair on the back of Vaughn's neck, "Freak, huh? I wasn't the one checking me out, now was I?"  
  
"Nope, there was just something about you - one look and I was hooked," Vaughn grinned back at Sydney, "You should probably go, Francie might be getting worried, though one look at you should tell her that you could run for miles and not even work up a sweat."  
  
"Thanks," Sydney blushed at the implied compliment, "When do we get started with Will?"  
  
Vaughn's flinched at the mentioned of Will, and he made a mental note to practice saying the name without jealousy creeping into his mind. "Tomorrow. Can you meet back here at eight?"  
  
"Sure, I certainly don't have anything else to do," Sydney shrugged, "Sloane has been MIA for the past two weeks and my dad is in charge at SD- 6, I don't expect to be sent out any time soon."  
  
"Okay, tomorrow night then," Vaughn kissed Sydney quickly, "You'll become Will's girlfriend."  
  
Sydney rolled her eyes, "Let the fun begin. Hey, have you thought of how we might convince Francie of our true love? She's the one I am most worried about buying this charade."  
  
"Sydney, I think she's probably not blind to Will's adoration of you, you'll just need to convince her of your own feelings. No big deal."  
  
"Do you know women at all? Francie is going wonder why I never said anything before, I am her roommate after all," Sydney laughed.  
  
"Tell her that it has been going on for a little while but you didn't want to tell even her because if it didn't go well you didn't want things to be weird and things are always weird when someone else knows about them," Vaughn said, knowingly.  
  
"Thanks for the advice, Dr. Vaughn, you should get your own call-in show."  
  
"Again, funny, what would the angle be - advice for the undercover agent?"  
  
"I know I'd tune in," Sydney mocked, fluttering her eyelashes at Vaughn, "I hear Dr. Vaughn is quite the hottie, at least Francie thinks so."  
  
"What, how does she," Vaughn started but then remembered he had dropped the "notes" off for Sydney, "Oh, right, she thinks I'm hot, huh? Interesting."  
  
Sydney just nodded and smiled as Vaughn backed up, pulling her off of the table. Her smile turned into full-out laughter as Vaughn took her hand and twirled her out into the warehouse and with a snap of his wrist brought her back up against him.  
  
Vaughn joined in her laughter, "Sorry, I couldn't help myself. I'm a closet dancer."  
  
Sydney wrapped an arm around his neck and let Vaughn dip her, "That's okay with me, I love to dance and this, this reminds me a little bit of a normal relationship."  
  
They danced a few more measures has Vaughn hummed an unrecognizable tune. Sydney closed her eyes and took a deep breath, knowing that when she left the warehouse things were going to be different. She would have to go home and plant few seeds about Will with Francie, who thought Will was in New York for a writer's conference.  
  
But tomorrow was another day and even though Will would be there, she would get to see Vaughn so it had the potential for being a good day. No matter how deep she found herself in the crap of her life, she was ironically ever the hopeless romantic, balancing the good with everything else. She realized that it opened her up to all sorts of pain by caring so deeply for people and about things and trying to hold onto the hope that true love would someday be hers, but she also knew it gave her life - that it kept her from becoming numb and heartless like Sloane or even her father. She was a paradox - a ruthless double agent who could kick a thousand asses but still cried herself to sleep at night, thinking about all the people she lied to about herself and each other.  
  
"Thanks, Vaughn," Sydney hugged him and pressed her lips to his.  
  
"Not a problem, Syd. Hey, you called me Michael earlier, remember?"  
  
"Yes, I remember."  
  
"It was good to hear my name coming out of your mouth, but to be honest, I like it better when you call me Vaughn," Vaughn winked at her, "You're the only one who does."  
  
Sydney just nodded and kissed him once again, letting herself get lost in the kiss. It was Vaughn who broke away and turned her around to face the door and gave her a little push in its direction.  
  
"You'd better get out of here, Syd."  
  
"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow, then," Sydney started walking towards the door, not looking back, knowing she wouldn't be moving in the right direction if she did that.  
  
"Bye, Syd."  
  
Sydney waved a hand over her shoulder and walked out the door, her desire to turn around and run back into his arms almost making her walk crooked.  
  
As the door clicked shut behind her, Vaughn sighed and rubbed both hands roughly over his face.  
  
"This is going to kill me," he said to the empty room, not knowing if he meant figuratively or literally.  
  
Minutes later Vaughn was outside in his car, heading back to the office to write a report for Devlin, outlining Sydney's acceptance of being Will's "girlfriend" and his suggestions for getting everything in place.  
  
Life went on. And tomorrow was another day. 


	4. Chapter 3

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to review and give comments - I appreciate them! Please email me if you have a direction you would like to see the story go - I have ideas in my head - but far to many for one story so I am open. Thanks again, I hope you enjoy!  
  
P.S. Action is still to come, I am finding other things to say until then.  
  
******  
  
Sydney had gotten home the previous night and immediately started planting seeds in Francie's head about the possibility of there being something more than friendship between herself and Will. To her surprise, Francie was already on the bandwagon. Sydney mentioned something about getting an email from Will that day and how sweet it was of him to think of her and then said what a great boyfriend he would make because he was so thoughtful and Francie had given her a pointed stare and then rolled her eyes in a look- who-came-late-to-the-party sort of way and laugher her way down the hall to her room.  
  
That morning she had gotten up and went into the kitchen to sit on the counter and chat with Francie as she made breakfast - one of her delicious egg-white, ricotta and tomato omelets - a perfectly orchestrated move as it was something she used to do when they were undergrads and she wanted to talk girl-talk after a night out with some guy or the other.  
  
"So, what would you think of Will and I dating," Sydney asked, hoping she captured the right tone of curiosity and sheepishness that she had been practicing in front of her bedroom mirror the night before. "Just curious." She quickly added.  
  
"Oh please, Syd," Francie shook her head and laughed, "Don't tell me you are just thinking of this now?"  
  
"No, I mean I guess not," Sydney paused, not as a part of the act but out of guilt at having to tell another lie to her friend and knowing that this one carried equal if not greater weight than all the others she had told before. "It's just that. Will is going to kill me for saying anything because I promised him I would wait for him, but."  
  
"But what," Francie had turned her attention away from her eggs, "Is something going on between the two of you?"  
  
Sydney dropped her gaze to the floor, suddenly very interested in the pattern on the linoleum. 'Shit, or get off the pot,' said the voice in her head. "I guess you could say that."  
  
"What!? For how long!?"  
  
"Just a few weeks," Sydney said, recalling the story she had made up the night before, " Before Will went to New York we were alone one night and started talking about the possibility and suddenly we were kissing and I don't know, I guess I finally just 'saw the light.' We didn't want to say anything because we weren't sure what was going to happen and didn't want anyone else getting hurt if it didn't work out. Please don't be mad."  
  
"Wow," Francie narrowed her eyes at Sydney, "A few weeks, huh? You and Will - I never thought I would see the day. He has been head over heels for you ever since I can remember, I wondered if you would ever see what was standing right in front of you. I'm not mad though, relieved that maybe some of the sexual tension will be gone around here."  
  
It was Sydney's turn to shake her head, if only she knew that this was just the beginning, if anything, things were bound to get stranger, that was inevitable. It was also hard hearing her friend so excited about a relationship that wasn't even real - so sure that things would be great between them.  
  
"Hey, Syd," Francie interrupted her thoughts, "Does this mean that I can have Mr. Brit Lit?"  
  
This was not going to be easy.  
  
******  
  
Sydney managed to get out of her house without too much of an explanation of her relationship with Will by saying she had a paper to work on and needed to do some research at the library.  
  
As it was, she did end up at the library but only after she had been to every other place she normally went to clear her mind. Thought of the previous night invaded her mind, making all other topics unimportant. All she wanted was to be in Vaughn's arms again, finishing what they had only started the night before. She half dreaded going to the warehouse tonight, knowing that Will would be their focus and that she wouldn't be able to ignore the proverbial white elephant in the room.  
  
"Focus, Sydney," she found herself saying aloud in the midst of the early- American authors section causing a few inquisitive glances to be thrown her way. She smiled, tucked her hair behind her ears and apologized in grad student-speak, "Sorry, paper due tomorrow, no time, stupid advisor."  
  
As long as she wasn't acting like a double agent she might as well fit the bill of a sleep-deprived-student.  
  
After lunch she decided to go into Credit Dauphine and check in with her father and make some more headway with Dixon. After she got back from Taipei, Dixon told her that he wasn't going to turn her in but that he also wasn't going to forget what had happened. Sydney was pretty certain that he wasn't ever planning on turning her in but then again Sloane hadn't been in the office since she had left. Dixon not trusting her, even though she knew she had been doing the right thing, hurt her more than she would let on and she was trying to figure out a way to get back on good terms with her partner.  
  
She spent the afternoon researching Rimbaldi, looking for more intel about "The Man" and laughing in the tech room with Marshall who was working on a surprisingly funny impression of Leonardo DiCaprio from Titanic. She did manage to get two minutes alone with her dad, thanks to the handy signal- blocking pen, and he confirmed that he did know about the plan for she and Will to appear to be together and that he approved of the decision. In the back of his mind he knew that having the two of them together meant more protection for his daughter. She may have been a good agent but he still felt better knowing other people were watching her back.  
  
At seven she called Francie to tell her that she would be staying late at work to meet with a client and not to wait up as she didn't know how late it would go since they were coming in from Australia and would be wide awake after sleeping on the flight over. Just another hour until she was officially someone's girlfriend again, and she could only think of the other man who would be in the room.  
  
*******  
  
Vaughn had had an easier day in terms of focusing; a five-hour meeting with the ops team for Sydney and Will's relationship didn't leave a whole lot of room for wandering thoughts.  
  
Lunch was spent avoiding being hit by Weiss' yo-yo flying past his head as they discussed baseball and anything else that Vaughn could think of to keep his mind away from the ever-present memory of Sydney licking his lip.  
  
Will was at the office for the afternoon, reviewing his story and going through photos of his trip to the Big Apple, courtesy of a few agents from the Newark office who had been asked to pose as tourists around town and send their film back to L.A. where Will's face had been superimposed over one of the 6-foot tall guys' heads. He'd seen all the sights; it had been quite a trip. He would be "coming back" the next day and had to make sure he knew his stuff. Vaughn supervised the session and prayed that everything would go smoothly in the next few days, those would be the most important as they didn't know who was out there watching and what might happen when Will was back on the scene. Having Sydney close to him was a great idea (though Vaughn wouldn't admit that out loud) but Will's presence put her in even greater danger than she was normally.  
  
Before he knew it, it was time for them to head out the warehouse to meet Sydney. Stopping in his office before picking up Will from the conference room down the hall, Vaughn finally allowed himself a few thoughts of Sydney. Will was going to be one lucky guy, real or not, he would get to go out in public with the woman Vaughn loved and hold her hand in front of everyone without worrying who was watching or what the consequences were going to be. Vaughn couldn't help but be jealous, even though he knew that this wasn't exactly how Will had wanted things to happen and that his life was no longer his own for who knew how long.  
  
"Fuck," Vaughn whispered to the empty room.  
  
******  
  
Vaughn's car was waiting outside the warehouse when Sydney pulled in - he always beat her there.  
  
Walking inside this night was even more nerve-racking than the previous night. Maybe because of what had happened or what was going to happen, or both, she wasn't sure. But given another option, she would have taken it so long as Will was safe and she didn't have to start this new charade. But she was doing it for Will, even for she and Vaughn, because if something happened to Will because of her she knew she wouldn't be able to let another person into her life and would push those who were there away.  
  
Will was the first to speak after the door shut behind her, saving Sydney and Vaughn from figuring out where to begin.  
  
"Hey, Syd," he said walking towards her to give her a hug, "Thank you for doing this."  
  
Sydney returned his embrace, glad to see his bruises were healed and that he didn't look like he had been tortured a few weeks before. She had only seen him twice since they had gotten back from Taipei, once the next morning at the hospital where he had told her that he was just glad to be back and alive and that he didn't blame her for what had happened to him and the second time was only two days later when he had been moved from the hospital to a safe house; he had asked for her to be there.  
  
"Of course, Will," Sydney's voiced cracked slightly, as tears formed in her eyes, "I love you."  
  
"Hey," Will stood back from her, "Don't cry, everything is all right, we're in this together now, you're not alone anymore."  
  
Oh course he would see it that way, this was just a normal adventure, like the day trips they used to take in college, driving until they were tired of the direction they were going and turning to go in another, eventually finding their way back home.  
  
As if he was reading her thoughts, Will continued, "I mean, I know things aren't the same and the stakes are a whole lot higher now, but hey, at least we are both alive and we've got Mike to help us figure out the rest."  
  
Sydney looked at Will, "Mike who?"  
  
"Mike, me," Vaughn spoke up from behind Will, "Why don't the two of you come over here and I can lay out the plan as we have it figured. You guys will need to personalize everything, of course, but we have a pretty good start."  
  
Sydney locked eyes with Vaughn, offering an apology for not recognizing his "other" name. Vaughn smiled and shrugged, a gesture that only made him more attractive - a bit of boyish charm showing through.  
  
"Hey, Sydney."  
  
"Vaughn," Sydney smiled, "What have you got for us?"  
  
Vaughn laid out the plan, an actual timeline of events for their relationship. He and Sydney talked over the details of the grand romance while Will sat back and observed, occasionally interjecting his own thoughts. After an hour they had worked out the story, using the information that Sydney had already disclosed to Francie and were looking ahead at the coming weeks. Will was to start staying over at Sydney's by the end of the week, on the couch at first and eventually moving into the bedroom. Sydney would stay at Will's once the surveillance team had wired his house and gotten their watch post set up in a small house directly across the street from Will's place. Will had been staying on their couch on and off since Sydney moved in anyways so that wouldn't be anything new.  
  
Vaughn stopped for a minute, searching for the floor plans to both Will and Sydney's houses and remembered they were out in his car, thrown into the backseat since they were oversized.  
  
"Sorry guys," Vaughn apologized, "I'll be right back."  
  
Will didn't look up as Vaughn brushed past him, but watched Sydney as her gaze followed him out the door, the look in her eye akin to the one she always had for Danny, but still a bit different, deeper perhaps. The door closed and Sydney turned to look at Will, if she was surprised to find him staring at her, she didn't show it, instead she grinned widely at him.  
  
"So, what do you think?"  
  
"It all sounds good to me," Will said, "Is it all right with you? I mean, I know that you've got a few other things on your plate, I wouldn't want to mess anything up."  
  
"It's true, I've got other things going on, most of them things I can't tell you about, but you are important to me and keeping you alive and safe is now a part of what I do," Sydney rubbed her hands across her face, "Besides, I've already told Francie, we can't turn back now."  
  
"True. But, Syd, you're in love with him."  
  
"Who," Syd said, her head snapping up to look at Will.  
  
"Mike, Vaughn," Will sputtered, "The man outside getting blueprints of our houses to outline survival coverage and surveillance measures."  
  
Sydney let out a deep breath and put a hand to her mouth, unsure of how to respond.  
  
"You don't have to lie to me to protect me, Sydney. It's better now if you tell me the truth. Are you in love with him?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Does he know?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Does he love you?"  
  
"Yes," Vaughn answered from the doorway. He had left the door propped open on his way out, making for a noiseless entry on the way back in. "He loves her."  
  
Sydney closed her eyes, waiting for Will's reaction, not knowing what else to say. Vaughn walked back over to his chair next to Sydney and sat down, placing the blueprints on table in front of him.  
  
"Okay then," Will spoke first again, "Now everything is on the table. Where were we?"  
  
Sydney looked up, grateful to Will for his understanding. "Floor plans and escape routes, the stuff dreams are made of."  
  
Vaughn continued on, explaining every angle of the next few weeks, as far as they could plan them without knowing SD-6's plans for Sydney. Occasionally he would look up and see Will staring at him intently, Will would simple nod and ask a question; his agent attitude was already formed.  
  
At the end of their meeting, Sydney and Will were working out where they would meet up the next day and decided on Will coming to her apartment - might as well get the Francie encounter out of the way from the start, convincing her would be the challenge they had to pass before going out into the world.  
  
Will gathered up the few things he needed, and walked slowly towards the door, "I'm going to catch a bit of fresh air before I have to go back to the safe house tonight, I'll see you guys outside."  
  
Vaughn looked at Sydney and smiled, things could not have gone better.  
  
"It looks like the only jealous guy you're going to have to deal with is me," he said.  
  
"Don't be fooled by Mr. Tippin's manly behavior, something tells me that the ugly, green monster might rear its head sometime in the future. I've known Will long enough to know when he is making a retreat to build up his resources," Sydney explained, "But at least he is being a good friend for tonight. Who knows, maybe he'll surprise us both."  
  
Vaughn laughed and grabbed Sydney's hand as she tapped a handful of papers against the table, attempting to get them all in line. Her effort was futile as Vaughn tugged a little harder and pulled her towards him, the papers slid onto the table, ignored.  
  
"Just one kiss," Vaughn breathed against her mouth, "Just one."  
  
Instead of bothering to answer, Sydney obliged to his request and kissed him first, devouring his mouth, his tongue with her own. Knowing this was all she could have of him made her intent on not letting a bit of him go to waste. Vaughn certainly shared her desire, his hands busy stroking her hair, her back, her butt.  
  
And as quickly as they came together, they were apart. They knew that they had been given a bit of grace and didn't want to take advantage of it. Vaughn grabbed all the papers and photographs and piled them into his briefcase. Sydney reached out and combed his hair back into place with her fingers, letting them run down the side of his face and over his lips.  
  
"Ready?"  
  
"Ready as I'll ever be," Vaughn rolled his eyes and motioned for Sydney to go in front of him, "I like the view from back here."  
  
"Agent Vaughn, that isn't really an appropriate comment for a handler to make."  
  
"I disagree, Agent Bristow, I believe it's quite appropriate for a ihandler/i to make that comment - they knew where of they speak."  
  
Sydney raised an eyebrow at Vaughn's comment but kept walking forward, she'd let that one slide considering sometime soon he was going to have to see her kiss Will.  
  
Outside, Will was waiting next to Vaughn's car. Sydney gave him a hug goodbye and a kiss on the cheek. "See you tomorrow, sweetie."  
  
"Bye, muffin," Will replied in a syrupy-sweet voice, "Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite."  
  
Vaughn unlocked his car and stowed his things away inside. Sydney waved in his direction and winked just slightly. Will was getting into the passenger side of the car, giving Vaughn the chance to mouth 'I love you' to Sydney.  
  
'Me, too.' She replied.  
  
Vaughn grinned and got in the car, not quite looking forward to the ride back to the safe house.  
  
"Hey, Mike," Will started, "I know that this is going to sound so cliché and that you are going to laugh about it later and no doubt so will I, but I am still going to say it. You hurt her, and I will kill you."  
  
"I respect you for saying that," Vaughn stared out the windshield, "And I would like to return the sentiment. Don't think I am the only one in this car that has the power to break her heart, she would die for you and she almost did. I would do anything to keep her safe and to keep her from feeling anymore pain than she has already experienced and I hope you would do the same."  
  
"I would," was all Will said.  
  
The spent the rest of the ride to the safe house in silence. 


	5. Chapter Four

Chapter Four  
  
Thanks again to everyone who has read and enjoyed this story so far. I hope your enjoyment continues. Please read and review.  
  
******  
  
Sydney was sitting at home, reading a magazine when the doorbell rang. Will was supposed to be coming over, his first stop after getting off the "plane" from New York City. During her wait, she had spent a decadent evening doing nothing of importance - almost like a normal girl waiting for her boyfriend to get home from a trip. Her last night of near normalcy, out with her friends had ended in her being arrested and questioned by a special team of CIA investigators. So she had relished in the idea of sitting at home for an evening, despite the fact that the moment Will got there things would be more than a little weird.  
  
The doorbell rang again as Sydney let out a long sighed and pulled herself up from the couch - time to face the music.  
  
"Coming!"  
  
Sydney stood on the other side of the door, shook her head and put her hand on the knob. 'Happy girlfriend, ready, set, go.'  
  
"You're late," Sydney laughed as the door opened to reveal not a smiling Will but a frowning Sloane.  
  
"Sydney," Sloane didn't even muster a polite smile, "May I come in?"  
  
"Sir, what a surprise," Sydney stepped aside, "Yes, please come in. When did you get back in town?"  
  
Sloane walked inside and went straight to the couch and sat down. Sydney followed and sat down beside him where he had patted on the cushion. Though her movements were deliberate, her mind was racing to find a possible reason for Sloane's sudden appearance at her home, a place he had not been to since she moved there after Danny's death.  
  
"You are probably wondering what I am doing here," Sloane started. "I don't quite know myself but I guess I just wanted to be the one to tell you."  
  
"Tell me what?"  
  
"Emily is dead."  
  
"What," Sydney felt her throat constricting, "The cancer? I don't. I don't understand. She was in remission, I mean, it wasn't the cancer was it?"  
  
"No," Sloane took Sydney's hand, "It wasn't the cancer. It was, I don't know, she died in her sleep. An allergic reaction to some medication she was taking for a cold she picked up on our vacation. We were taking a trip to celebrate her beating cancer. She was so beautiful."  
  
Sloane squeezed the hand in his, hard enough to bring tears of pain to Sydney's eyes to mix with the ones that had already found their way there. Without warning, he leaned over and began weeping, body shaking uncontrollably, leaving Sydney at a loss for what to do. Slowly, steadily, she wrapped her arms around the man next to her, a man she hated with everything in her who was grieving the loss of a woman she had loved like a mother, a woman they both had loved.  
  
"I can't believe she is gone," Sloane sobbed. "She was my life."  
  
Sydney couldn't not find the words to say to comfort Sloane, so she simply held him and let him cry, joining him with her own tears. They sat like that until the phone rang, breaking into the moment, bringing Sydney back to the reality within which the man in her arms repulsed her. She may have pushed back from him more roughly than she should have but she didn't notice in her haste to get to the phone and away from Sloane.  
  
Gulping in air and wiping her nose with an unladylike swipe of her sleeve, Sydney scooped up the phone and hit 'Talk'. "Hello?"  
  
"Hi honey," Jack's voice came through the earpiece, "I have some bad news."  
  
"I know, Dad, Sloane's here."  
  
"What, why is Sloane at your house?"  
  
"He came to tell me about Emily," Sydney let a sob slip out, "I can't believe she is dead."  
  
"Honey, I'm so sorry, I know how you felt about Emily," Jack's voice brought a bit of comfort to his daughter, "She was what you knew of a mother."  
  
"She was wonderful."  
  
"Sydney, can I talk to Sloane?"  
  
Sydney brought the phone over to Sloane, "It's my dad."  
  
Sloane took the phone and murmured a handful of yes's and no's, his head hanging down in his lap. Sydney went into the kitchen and turned on the faucet, splashing cold water onto her face, scratching her nails across her skin. Emily was dead.  
  
"Thanks, Jack," Sydney heard Sloane ending the conversation, "I'll see you at the office tomorrow."  
  
Sloane handed the Sydney back the phone. As Sydney took it from his hand, the doorbell rang again. Will.  
  
"I'm sorry for coming here like this, Sydney," Sloane said, "I just didn't know where to go, what to do. I wanted to be with someone who loved her. Thank you for being here for me."  
  
"I loved Emily, I'd do anything for her," Sydney said, dismissing any thought from her mind that she had done something good for Sloane, "I'm sorry for your loss. Please let me know if there is anything that I can do."  
  
"I certainly will," Sloane stood up from the couch and started walking towards the front door, "Were you expecting someone?"  
  
"Yes," Sydney had almost forgotten that Will was coming over, "My friend, Will, who came over for dinner with me a few months ago."  
  
"Ah yes, that was the young man whose company Emily enjoyed so much."  
  
"He'd be glad to hear that," Sydney smiled slightly, "He, I mean, we are sort of seeing each other."  
  
"Dating," Sloane smiled back, "Emily would be pleased. I'm glad that you have someone to be with you."  
  
Sloane opened the door to the front porch where Will was standing, finger poised over the doorbell, ready to ring it again.  
  
"Good evening, Mr. Tippin."  
  
Will looked up startled, "Mr. Sloane, good to see you again."  
  
Sloane stepped aside, motioning for Will to come inside. "Sydney tells me that you two are dating. I'm happy for the two of you, my wife would have been pleased."  
  
"Thank you, Mr. Sloane," Will turned to look at Sydney, searching her face for a sign for what he should do. "Please give my regards to your wife."  
  
"Thanks for your kind thoughts but I am afraid I can't pass along the message," Sloane's voice cracked a little, "My wife died two weeks ago."  
  
"I'm sorry to hear that," Will stammered, "I have been out of town, I didn't know."  
  
"That's all right, you couldn't have known, Sydney only just found out this evening," Sloane wiped his eyes with the handkerchief he had retrieved from his pocket, "I think I will be going now. Thank you Sydney, I'll let you know about the memorial arrangements."  
  
"I'm very sorry," Sydney repeated, almost anxious for Sloane to leave.  
  
Sloane pulled the door shut as he left, leaving Will and Sydney alone. Will took one step towards Sydney before she crumpled onto the floor, body shaking with sobs. Will knelt on the floor next to her, gathering her up in his arms.  
  
"Shhh," he soothed, "It's going to be all right. Shhhh."  
  
Sydney wrapped her arms around Will's and tucked her head under his chin, letting her tears soak into his t-shirt.  
  
"Thank you for being here," she whispered.  
  
"There's no place I would rather be."  
  
Will rocked them back and forth, a seemingly natural tendency for anyone trying to calm another distraught individual - infant to adult. His hand began stroking her hair, smoothing it back away from her face. After a while, she sobs lessened and her body only shaking mildly. Will pressed his lips against the edge of her scalp and hugged her to him.  
  
"Is there anything I can say to make this better," he asked.  
  
"No, but thanks for asking," Sydney sniffed, "I just didn't expect this, she was better, the cancer was gone."  
  
Sydney let go of Will's arms to reach for a tissue from the box on the end table. Will rubbed her back as she dried her eyes and nose.  
  
"Thank you again," Sydney offered a half-hearted smile. "Some homecoming."  
  
"Hey, don't even worry about it," Will shook his head, "This is more important right now. What you are feeling and the fact that I can be here for you, that's what matters. We'll figure everything else out later, okay?"  
  
"Okay," Sydney wondered what he meant by figuring everything else out, hadn't that been what the meeting was for last night. "I think I am going to go take a bath. You okay out here?"  
  
"Syd, I've spent hours entertaining myself in this house."  
  
"Right," Sydney tilted her head to the side and gave him a sheepish look, "Well then, make yourself at home as usual."  
  
Will just nodded and then pointed in the direction of the bathroom. "Go."  
  
Sydney stood up and shuffled off in the direction of the bathroom. Shutting the door behind her, she reached for a book of matches to begin lighting candles. Once enough candles were lit to provide sufficient light to see by, Sydney flipped the light switch off and turned on the hot water to fill up the tub, an old claw-foot one with enough room for two, though she had only enjoyed it alone.  
  
Will had turned on the stereo in the living room and sounds of David Gray drifted through the door, furthering calming Sydney - he always seemed to know what would make her feel better.  
  
****** 


	6. Chapter 5

Thanks to all for reading this little story, I appreciate your feedback and encouragement! Enjoy!  
  
******  
  
The days following Sloane's visit to Sydney's house all seemed to blend into one. Even though Emily had been dead for almost two weeks, Sloane still wanted the usual visitation and memorial service. Sydney was in attendance for all occasions, Will by her side, accepting the condolences of those who knew she thought of Emily is a mother. Jack tried to make it when he could but was working on a mission for the CIA and that was taking up much of his time apart from his typical SD-6 duties.  
  
Sydney knew that the ache would soon leave her and her contempt for Sloane would grow even stronger, a nagging feeling told her that Emily's death wasn't likely to have happened exactly has Sloane had said. Sloane was most certainly a grieving spouse but at times he acted almost guilty, like he was responsible for his wife's death. Believing Sloane actually did have something to do with there being ashes in the urn on the alter in the funeral home was not too far of a stretch for Sydney and once she had made that leap, anger started replacing sorrow and her desire to fight harder and longer for SD-6's destruction grew more powerful.  
  
Vaughn hated that he couldn't be there for Sydney, but he very well couldn't show up at the memorial to support her. They met twice in the following week, the first time under the guise of checking up on she and Will's "relationship" and the second as a prep meeting for an upcoming operation that both Sydney and Will would be sent on.  
  
Both times Will had been required to tag along but he managed to find the back corner of the warehouse very interesting for the first half hour of each meeting, leaving Sydney and Vaughn alone. During those times, Sydney had buried her head in Vaughn's chest and let herself be taken into him, Vaughn's arms wrapping around her like a comforting blanket. Vaughn breathed into her hair and planted light kisses all over her head. Sydney didn't have any tears left to shed so she simply stood in his embrace, willing herself to forget everything that was outside of their small cocoon. By their second meeting, a week after learning about Emily's death, Sydney felt more at peace than she had in months.  
  
But the peace only carried her through to the next morning when she awoke from a terrible dream only to realize that it wasn't a dream at all and Will was snoring quietly beside her. That day she eulogized Emily in front of a small crowd of SD-6 employees and Emily's friends. She carried a handkerchief that Vaughn had slipped into her hand the night before. "I know I won't be there in person but I hope this helps remind you that my heart is with you and I will be thinking about you the whole time."  
  
She made it through the day, sitting next to Sloane after the memorial, holding his hand while he cried, using every bit of her self-control to keep from crushed the bones between her fingers. Will came up behind her and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder and leaned down to kiss her check. Absentmindedly, she turned and kissed him full on the mouth, taking Will quite by surprise, as they hadn't participated in public displays of affection outside of handholding and close embraces. Sydney quickly turned back to Sloane, eyes wide. 'What the hell was I thinking,' she chided herself, 'Oh well, we are supposed to be dating, that was fairly normal interaction between a couple who shares the same bed.'  
  
While Sydney was quick to dismiss the kiss, Will could focus on nothing but. He knew that Sydney loved Vaughn but he had spent the better part of three years in love with her and kissing her wasn't something he could easily dismiss and no one could really blame him for thinking twice or three times about what had happened. His thoughts didn't carry him too far before he felt something vibrating against his pants - his CIA-issued cell phone.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hey, it's Vaughn. I know you are at the memorial right now and talking to me isn't the best idea in the world but I needed to reach you before I left the office for the afternoon. I need to meet with you and Sydney tonight - regarding our topic of conversation last night. Just say, okay if you can make it by nine."  
  
"Ok."  
  
"Good." Vaughn paused, the inevitable question waiting to be asked, "How is she?"  
  
"She's holding up, as well as can be expected, I guess," Will answered almost before the words had come through the earpiece. "I'll tell her you called, Francie, and that you love her."  
  
"Thanks, Will. I'll see you tonight."  
  
"Bye." Will disconnected and looked down at Sydney who had turned her face up to look at him, knowing Francie didn't have the number to the phone in Will's hand. "Francie was just checking in and wanted me to say that she loves you. She will see us at 9:00 tonight."  
  
Sydney nodded in understanding, "That was nice of her to call."  
  
******  
  
As Will and Sydney were saying their goodbyes and preparing to leave the memorial, Jack had stopped them and given them tickets to Bangor, Maine. He explained that he had arranged a trip for them to go on to rest and relax before facing the real world again. Sydney looked questioningly in Sloane's direction and Jack continued that he had already cleared the trip with Sloane and Will's boss at the newspaper, both had been understanding given the situation. Jack had pressed the envelope containing the tickets into Sydney's open hands and gave her gentle kiss on the cheek. He wished them safe travels and moved in Sloane's direction, a look of sympathy making its way onto his face.  
  
Sydney had taken Will's hand and practically dragged him out to the car. Will didn't have a clue what was going on but knew Sydney would explain it to him soon enough.  
  
"Wasn't that nice of my dad," Sydney said calmly, "I could definitely use a break from reality. I wonder where we are staying."  
  
As she spoke she ran a bug-finder across the floor of the car and over the dashboard. The tiny device didn't make a sound.  
  
"We're clean," Sydney offered Will a smile. "Looks like we're going on vacation, you're first."  
  
"Huh," Will's confused look hadn't left his face and then it dawned on him, it was his first mission, that was why they were going to meet with Vaughn. "Oh. Okay, let's go."  
  
******  
  
Will drove them to the warehouse, pulling in behind Vaughn's black sedan. 'He was always there before them, he probably came 20 minutes early just to be sure of arriving first,' Will thought with disdain. What he didn't know was that Vaughn often arrived an hour before his scheduled meeting time with Sydney - using the time to center his thinking and focus on the task at hand instead of the girl who would be walking through the doors. That night he had already been at the warehouse two hours, preparing for the op his two agents would be leaving on the next morning.  
  
Sydney and Will would be heading to Maine for a week at a resort on the East Coast. The CIA had recovered intelligence leading them to believe "The Man" had a safe house near Bar Harbor where they stored their most prized Rimbaldi discoveries. What better place to hide something than the least likely place in the world - a sleepy, backwoods town in New England.  
  
Shortly after Sydney had blown up the Circumference in Taipei, small planes had been spotted landing at night just outside of Bar Harbor, gliding across the water, careful not to disturb the quiet setting. All radar's were up for unusual activity and middle-of-the-night plane arrivals by water were not typical for Bar Harbor. The closest field office was contacted and a local agent was able to track one of the plane's passengers, whose description loosely matched Sark's, 60 miles out of town. But, in being careful not to be spotted, the agent had lost the trail; thankfully satellite footage revealed a small cluster of buildings a few more miles from where the car had been lost.  
  
Sydney was chosen for mission because Devlin and Jack Bristow had felt that it would be good for her to get out of town and jump back into going after the "bad guys" - they didn't want her to languish for too long in memories of Emily and lose her focus on her overall objective. Both were unaware that Sydney's resolve was only strengthened by what happened and she was ready to get back in the thick of things. Will would ironically be her cover; a romantic getaway would be just what the doctor ordered to get over the grief of losing Emily, Sloane would be more than willing to let her take the time off. Jack had already approached Sloane with the idea, revealing that he had gotten tickets and reservations for his daughter and her new beau. Sloane had easily agreed, never questioning Jack's motives.  
  
Vaughn would also be staying at the resort, another female agent posed as his companion. He would be going with Sydney to see what they could find out about the compound in the woods, and his roommate would stay behind to look out for Will when they were gone. Jack had pushed for Vaughn's direct involvement, knowing his daughter wasn't likely to trust any other agent, no matter who they worked for, and that Sydney worked well with the younger agent. The only better alternative would be his accompanying Sydney but he was needed at SD-6 and his turning up at the same place his daughter was vacationing didn't make a whole lot of sense.  
  
A CIA team was already assembled in Maine, poised and ready to back up the four agents staying at the resort. They were also prepping the rooms Sydney and Will and Vaughn and Agent Burrows would be staying in. Everything would be ready by the time their planes landed the following afternoon.  
  
Sydney was the first one through the door, Will following behind, almost bouncing through the door. His nerves had wound up so tightly in anticipation of what Vaughn would be telling them, he was actually looking forward to whatever the mission was. His mood deflated not even 30 minutes later has he listened to Vaughn detail the trip; Vaughn would be leaving every night with Sydney to do the actual work while he was left behind with a glorified babysitter watching over him. It was hard not to be jealous when you were the one always getting the shaft.  
  
Vaughn's description had the opposite effect on Sydney; as could have been expected, the idea of working one-on-one with Vaughn (despite the many unknowns about the mission) lifted her spirits. Scattering Emily's ashes at the end of the memorial and watching them float in the air and into the ocean had made her feel both heartbroken and free. She grieved for Emily but knew that this was now behind her and she had other things to think about. The mission couldn't have come at a better time.  
  
"So Amanda, Agent Burrows, and I will be arriving at Mount Mercy a couple hours after you and Will," Vaughn highlighted the important facts again. "We will be under the names of Julia Evans and Donovan Mitchell and you guys will of course keep your names."  
  
Sydney smiled at Vaughn's alias, recognizing it as his dog's name. "Donovan?"  
  
"Weiss' suggestion, he thought it would be funny," Vaughn grinned and turned to Will, "My dog's name is Donovan."  
  
"Oh, yeah, that's funny," Will was fuming on the inside, knowing it was irrational of him to be jealous, he couldn't really expect to be given such a tough assignment his first time out and he should just have been happy Sydney wasn't going on her own. "Hey, do you mind if I get some air, this is a lot to think about."  
  
"Sure, I just have a few more things to cover anyways, mostly things that Sydney needs to know," Vaughn shrugged. "Let me know if you have any questions."  
  
Will mimicked Vaughn's shrug and plodded in the direction of the door. When it clicked shut behind him, Sydney was already in Vaughn's arms. "I didn't think anything could cheer me up today, it has been so awful. Who would have thought that a mission would bring me joy, I'm actually glad to be going."  
  
Vaughn didn't have time to reply before Sydney's lips were on his, exploring the territory and claiming it has her own. He pulled away long enough to utter her name as a means of getting her attention but as they say, resistance was futile and he gave in to the kiss without much of a fight.  
  
Sydney sighed into his mouth, bringing her hands up to either side of his face and smiled as Vaughn mirrored her actions. Soon his hands were bunched in her hair, loosening it from the clip she had pulled it back with while her hands slid across his shoulders and to his back, squeezing the tensed muscles.  
  
"God," Sydney murmured as she moved her lips across his cheek to his earlobe. "I have wanted to do that since I walked in the door, why did you have to have so much to say?"  
  
"Syd, are you all right," Vaughn was glad for her advances but worried about the woman before him knowing the emotional roller coaster her day must have been. "Not that I am complaining, but you have had quite a day and you don't seem, um. . ."  
  
"Sad," Sydney finished for him, "Trust me, I'm sad, but when I watched Emily's ashes scatter away in the wind it occurred to me that I am not honoring her memory by wallowing in self-pity for having lost another person I love and I am most definitely letting Sloane win if I don't suck it up. I'd much rather have Emily here to talk to but I know she is listening - I have to believe that. And now, now she's not with Sloane anymore. So I am choosing to carry on, Emily would have wanted that and to be honest, so do I. I can't spend another 6 months numb from the loss like I was with Danny."  
  
The mention of Danny's name brought a flash of concern to Vaughn's face. Sydney saw the flicker and continued, her voice a whisper, "And with all this, there is you. You who I want so much it hurts. I'm so glad you came to Taipei and I'm even glad you almost died because it forced me to admit that I loved you, that I love you."  
  
Sydney would have continued but the intense look in Vaughn's eyes silenced her. "Come here," he breathed as his lips captured hers. The kiss that followed literally took her breath away, as if Vaughn had sucked it out of her. Knowing they only had a few minutes before Will was likely to come back to join them only added to the intensity of their union.  
  
After a few moments, Sydney pushed her hand against Vaughn's chest, prying her body away from his. Vaughn was slow to move and managed to place one more kiss on her lips before he heard the door opening behind him.  
  
Sydney propelled herself into an empty chair next the table with the mission details spread out on its surface.  
  
"So, that's about it," Vaughn said. "Sounds good to you?"  
  
"Sounds great," Sydney bit her lip to keep from grinning, deeming in an inappropriate reaction to learning about plans for the op.  
  
"Do either of you have questions?"  
  
Will shook his head but then stopped it sharply, "Are we allowed to talk to each other at the resort? I mean you and Agent Burrows and Sydney and myself."  
  
"Yes, that will be allowed," Vaughn nodded, "There shouldn't be a problem given the circumstances. Our rooms are right down the hall from each other and our interacting shouldn't raise any questions. We might even become friends."  
  
"How nice, friends," Will grumbled. "That'd be great."  
  
"You'll like Amanda, Agent Burrows, or I guess you should think of her as Julia. She has been living in London for the past five years and grew up in a small town in Minnesota - giving her a nice mix of mid-Western hospitality and English frankness."  
  
"She sounds nice, how do you know her, Vaughn," Will's implication was not lost on either of the other two people in the room.  
  
"I don't really, but Weiss met her when he was in London for six months last year working at the embassy," Vaughn sidestepped Will's jab, "I think he had a little crush, or a big crush considering he wouldn't stop talking about her when he got back."  
  
Eric Weiss' initial comments with regard to Amanda Burrows had gone something like, 'She's so beautiful it makes you want to call your mom to tell her thanks for giving birth to you. I may have been born just to look at her every day.' Vaughn laughed remembering his friend's infatuation that had never come to fruition has she had been involved with a French diplomat at the time.  
  
Sydney stood up and stretched, the stress of the day finally catching up with her and making her want nothing more than the warmth of her bed. Sleep brought a clear head and more importantly it brought her closer to Maine and a mission that could possibly move them one step nearer to their goal and that meant she was allowed time alone with Vaughn. "Ready to go home and pack, Mr. Tippin?"  
  
"It shouldn't be too hard," Will finally allowed the tension to slip away, "I haven't unpacked my bag from New York."  
  
"Be careful with that line of thinking," Sydney laughed, "One time I left for one trip within hours of getting back from another one and was so tired I didn't really pack new clothes and ended up with sweaters from the Russian leg of my trip which didn't really work in Lima, Peru. Dixon will never let me forget that. Thankfully it wasn't too terribly hot so I ended up cutting the sleeves from a couple of them and making do. Of course the cocktail dresses didn't prove to be a problem, there's never much material to them."  
  
Sydney's eyes locked with Vaughn's as she said her last sentence, he only grinned and gave her a wink that was just out of Will's line of sight due to his body being slightly turned away from the reporter.  
  
"Don't forget your earpiece and lapel pin, that way we'll be able to talk to each other when we are at the resort without picking up the phone," Vaughn handed Sydney a small bag containing the tiny electronics.  
  
"Thanks, Vaughn," Sydney said. "We'll see you tomorrow."  
  
"Bye, Vaughn."  
  
"Will, tomorrow's the big day," Vaughn offered his hand to Will who took it and returned the firm handshake. "I know it might not seem like much, but your role in this whole is just as important as any of them. I spent my first mission in a surveillance truck watching a house for activity. Forty- eight hours later the dog-walker came to walk Fifi and discovered the owner, our target, dead from a heart attack on his treadmill. Not the most glamorous story."  
  
Will snorted, "The guy was dead? That sucks. At least I'll get a vacation out of this whole thing, I kind of missed out on all the fun I was supposed to have had in New York - the pictures looked great."  
  
For a moment Vaughn and Will were on the same level, agents on the job; Sydney decided that it was her cue to get Will out of there before someone spoke and ruined the mood. "Let's go, Tippin, this girl has to pack!"  
  
Will rolled his eyes in Sydney's direction and smiled at Vaughn, "Women."  
  
Vaughn returned the smile and shook his head. "See you guys tomorrow."  
  
Will turned and made his retreat and was clear of the door before Sydney was able to take two steps forward. "Awww, you guys bonded."  
  
Vaughn smiled and gave Sydney a mischievous look, "Sydney. . ."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"About what you were talking about earlier," Vaughn approached Sydney, almost walking past her, his right arm brushing against hers.  
  
"Yes," Sydney's voice practically cracked.  
  
Vaughn placed his hand flat against her stomach and whispered into her ear, "In case you were unclear, I want you too."  
  
Sydney couldn't catch her breath to respond, the second time that night he'd had that effect on her. Vaughn's hand moved from her stomach to her hand and lifted it to his mouth. "Sleep tight."  
  
Sydney heard the car horn blare outside and decided her best move would be not saying a word and walking out the door - hopefully her legs would carry her there. One step forward proved to be a success and ten more followed, bringing her to the door.  
  
Throwing a look over her shoulder she found Vaughn hadn't turned around to watch her go as she had expected. Narrowing her eyes she said the first thing that came to her mind, "Nice ass, Agent Vaughn."  
  
Vaughn's laugh echoed through the warehouse as Sydney left the building to join Will in the car. 


	7. Chapter Six

Thanks again(!) for the reviews, I am glad I am not the only one enjoying this story. I've been inspired by the new season, as long as they will make us wait there I can create my alternate story line.  
  
Note: I hope no one gets confused by the aliases I am using, I will refer to Vaughn and Amanda Burrows as that unless some is speaking to them and then I will use aliases - but you all are smart enough to figure that out and be annoyed with me for telling you (  
  
Also, it gets a bit steaming in more ways than one at the end - possible R rating - though everything is implied not explicit. I'm sure someone will let me know either way. Enjoy!  
  
******  
  
Will and Sydney's plane left at 7:00 the following morning and Francie had insisted on driving them to the airport. She was so excited that her two friends had finally gotten together that she was more than willing to sacrifice much needed sleep on a Saturday morning to schlep them to LAX.  
  
The flight took off as scheduled and Sydney quickly fell asleep, a culmination of lack of sleep and emotional overload. She knew she should have stayed awake and made small talk with Will to calm any nervousness he may have been feeling about his first mission but she couldn't help herself - plane seats were practically her standard bed and she never had a problem falling asleep as it was sometimes the only rest she got between trips.  
  
Sydney woke up as the landing gear was shifting down for their arrival. For a moment she forgot where so was going and what for and was confused to find a head on her shoulder - that never happened with Dixon. Oh yeah, Will, she reminded herself.  
  
"Wake up, sleepyhead," Sydney moved her shoulder up and down trying to rouse her partner, "We're landing soon and you don't want to be groggy."  
  
"Hmpf," Will opened one eye and squinted up at Sydney, "How do you do this? I hate to say it but your shoulder doesn't make the best pillow - too pointy."  
  
"Hey, I didn't offer you my shoulder so I don't want to hear any complaints," Sydney grinned, "Besides, Dixon's shoulder is much nicer to sleep on, at least it is for me, I kind of doubt he would offer it to you."  
  
"I don't know, I can be quite charming and I've seen the way Dixon looks at me," Will sat up and rubbed his eyes, "You should be jealous."  
  
'Ahhh, the witty couple banter,' Sydney thought, 'We do put on a good show.'  
  
Will narrowed his gaze at Sydney and put his hand over hers on the armrest, "Don't worry, hon, you're the only one for me."  
  
Sydney just smiled and wove her fingers through Will's.  
  
******  
  
The CIA had arranged for a car to pick them up at the airport. It gave them a chance to go over the mission one more time as they hadn't spoken of it much since leaving the warehouse. They could talk freely without worrying about Francie or someone else overhearing their conversation.  
  
Will was curious how Sydney would be able to get out of the resort without drawing attention and what they would be doing during the day since she couldn't go off with another one of the guests as she was supposed to be there with Will. He had gathered the gist of what was going on and field agent training had more than prepared him for what was to come but he loved hearing Sydney talking about missions - seeing her as this super-spy girl was a completely different image than the one he had held of her up until the past few weeks and super-spy girl enthralled him even more than grad student Sydney. Sydney was happy to answer the questions, eager to put Will at ease, though she figured he knew most of what she was telling him, CIA training was pretty exhaustive.  
  
An hour drive brought them to the gate of Mount Mercy and one of the more beautiful views on the East Coast. Before them was a tree-lined drive that wound its way back to a magnificent building that had the size of hotel with the look of a mansion - very reminiscent of the past when the wealthy from New York built their vacation homes along the Atlantic so they would have a place to stay for themselves and their 50 closest friends. The grounds surrounding the main building were meticulously manicured and there appeared to be many gardens to explore and enjoy.  
  
As the car brought them closer to the front door, Sydney could see that the lawn stretched back behind the resort and then dropped sharply down to the ocean. A row of twenty or so benches and swings were lined up parallel to the water creating the perfect romantic setting for watching the sun rise if one wanted to get up that early.  
  
"If you're going to spy, spy in style," Will said. "Do my tax dollars pay for this trip?"  
  
"Don't even ask," Sydney laughed, "This place is gorgeous! Dixon and I never get to stay at places like this, hell, we hardly get to stay in one place long enough to merit getting lodging. I don't think I've ever been in one place for a week."  
  
"You've been gone on long trips before - those "bank" trips," Will accented his comment with air quotes.  
  
"Long trips are usually trips to more than one place or else I have to recover somewhere from taking one too many punches," Sydney explained, "Remember when I was gone for two weeks last year? I told you guys that I decided to stay over in Australia after a conference? I was in L.A. with a sprained ankle and broken cheekbone."  
  
"Wow. How many bones have you broken?"  
  
"More than I would care to count - a hazard of the job. It's harder now because if I get hurt on a CIA mission I have to hide it from SD-6 since they are aware of every injury I sustain on their trips. Thankfully bruises are easily covered up."  
  
"Double agent AND a skilled makeup artist - you are quite the marketable girl."  
  
Sydney laughed again, "True enough, but I don't think I will ever be applying for a job in the real world."  
  
Before Will could reply the car stopped and a bellman was at the door, ready to welcome them to the resort.  
  
******  
  
Louis, the concierge, was more than happy to give them a tour of the main building and the immediate grounds, highlighting the many unique qualities of Mount Mercy - a Japanese fish pond, original paintings hung on the walls, an attendant stationed on each wing and floor of the building, ready to serve the whims of any guest. Will took it all in - his last actual vacation had been a trip to Palm Springs with Francie and they had stayed in a place that was nice enough but looked like a 1920s Howard Johnson in comparison to the place before him. Sydney paid careful attention as well but with a set purpose in mind - she would have to get out of the building undetected and without raising suspicion of anyone who happened to see her. She counted windows, doors and stairways, tucking it all away in her head for ready reference later.  
  
Halfway through their tour, Louis took them past their suite - pointing out the sterling silver bath faucets on the whirlpool bathtub for two and showing them how to order movies from the resort's library of DVDs. Every detail was taken care of, needs had been anticipated and even the most finicky guest would be accommodated.  
  
"Frances will be your floor attendant from 6:00 a.m. until 4:00 and Murphy will be available from 4:00 until 2:00 a.m.," Louis was explaining as they stepped back into the hall to continue to the tour. He stopped talking to smile warmly at someone in the hallway. "Mr. Mitchell, are you and Ms. Evans getting settled?"  
  
"Yes we are, Louis," Sydney heard Vaughn's voice before she walked out the door and came into view. "I see you are giving another tour."  
  
"Mr. Mitchell, please allow me to introduce your neighbors for the next week, Sydney Bristow and Will Tippin, they are from Los Angeles," Louis stepped aside to let them all shake hands and exchanged hellos. "Ms. Bristow and Mr. Tippin this is Donovan Mitchell. He and his companion, Julia Evans and with us from Boston."  
  
"Let me get Julia out here so you guys can meet her, she was hoping we would meet some nice people," Vaughn his head back into his doorway, "Sweetie, there are some people out here that I would like you to meet."  
  
"Don't be so quick, Donovan, you don't know if we are nice," Will joked, "In fact, Sydney is just down-right mean, I'm only here out of fear."  
  
Vaughn chuckled at the comment, "I don't know, she doesn't look so tough to me, I bet I could take her."  
  
Sydney raised her eyebrow, "Mr. Mitchell, you are lucky that Will was only joking, because I am pretty sure you wouldn't even cause me to break a sweat."  
  
A tall, striking blond joined them in the hallway, cutting short Vaughn's no doubt clever retort. She quickly approached Will and Sydney, arm extended. "Hi! I'm Julia Evans, if I heard right from the room, you are Sydney and Will - first names are okay, right?"  
  
Will was struck nearly dumb by the woman in front of him, aside from Sydney he hadn't really thought of female CIA agents as being attractive but Agent Burrows was no buttoned-down suit-type. A mess of blond ringlets sprang out of her head, cascading past her shoulders. A wide smile and bright green eyes accented her high cheekbones. Weiss had every reason to have had a crush on Amanda Burrows - she was drop dead gorgeous, something not lost on either Sydney or Will.  
  
"Nice to meet you, Julia," Sydney shook the hand offered her, "I was just threatening to beat up your boyfriend - all in good fun of course."  
  
Amanda threw an accusing look in Vaughn's direction, "Donnie, are you having trouble making friends?"  
  
"Don't worry," Will took Amanda's hand, "Sydney is all bark and no bite."  
  
"I'm so glad to meet you both," Amanda walked back to Vaughn's side and laced her arm through his, "We are going to have an even better week now - isn't this place beautiful?"  
  
Sydney felt a small twinge of jealousy lick at the base of her spine; as uncalled for as it was, she didn't like to see or think of Vaughn with another woman, even if it was for show. Her reaction also made her realize that Vaughn probably didn't care much for her and Will being together for the same reason, a thought she had previously dismissed because she knew her feelings for Will ran only along the lines of friendship and was sure that Vaughn knew that was well, but she made a note to bring it up later.  
  
"I hate to interrupt, but there are many more things to see at Mount Mercy and I would love to show them to Mr. Tippin and Ms. Bristow so they will have time to get settled before dinner," Louis spoke politely, "Though I would be happy to pick it up later if you wanted to continue getting to know each other."  
  
Vaughn spoke first, "Louis, I think that you should definitely continue with the tour - there are many more wonderful things to see. We can meet up again for dinner, if you would like."  
  
"That would be nice," Will replied, "It was a pleasure to meet you, we'll see you both later."  
  
"Yes, nice to meet you," Sydney agreed.  
  
Amanda nodded, "Cheers."  
  
Vaughn guided Amanda back into their suite as Sydney and Will continued on down the hall behind Louis who was detailing the evening's dinner menu. Sydney walked past Vaughn, her arm purposely grazing against his. He turned and briefly let his fingers hook onto hers as she moved away. Sydney tossed a wink over her shoulder and then focused her attention back to what Louis was saying, taking Will's waiting hand.  
  
******  
  
The foursome of CIA agents met in the main restaurant for dinner and enjoyed a delicious meal and quite enjoyable conversation though it was hard to figure out what part was fact and what was fiction. Mostly they resorted to stories of their childhood and teenage years, those tales were unaffected by their positions as agents. Will found he had more in common with Vaughn than he thought, a truth that Vaughn was already aware of has he had read Will's detailed personal profile which covered all high school memories the applying agent wrote down in response to leading questions. In fact, there wasn't too much about Will that Vaughn didn't know; he knew more about Will Tippin and Jack Bristow than he did about Sydney Bristow as Sydney hadn't had to complete a profile. The CIA had gathered a background file within an hour of her arrival at his office a year ago and hadn't gone through any of the other normal formalities given the circumstances.  
  
Amanda proved to be as charming as she was attractive and Sydney found it impossible not to like her while Will became more smitten by her and her slight British accent, a result of five years in London. In the real world they would have all gotten along quite well and may have been regular friends.  
  
Amanda and Vaughn decided to take a walk outside after dinner, making sure the route off of the property and into the woods would be available later that night. Will and Sydney returned to their suite; Will was looking forward to ordering up a few movies on the government's bill and hunkering down for the night as he didn't think he would get any sleep with Sydney out with Vaughn. Sydney decided she would try out the pool that Louis had shown them earlier, congratulating herself on the having the foresight to bring her bathing suit - a flattering baby blue bikini. On her way out to the pool house, Sydney passed Vaughn and Amanda coming back inside.  
  
"I've been looking forward to taking a swim since I saw the pool," Sydney said, "Nothing is more relaxing than swimming laps."  
  
Vaughn caught Sydney's eye, "Sounds great, maybe we'll join you later."  
  
"Shoot! I think I forgot my suit," Amanda growled, "Oh well, I guess it's a good enough excuse to go shopping - you want to join me tomorrow, Sydney?"  
  
"Shopping - I haven't done that in ages," Sydney saw Amanda frown, "Work keeps me pretty busy. It's tragic, really, I earn money but I can't spend it. I'd love to go shopping tomorrow."  
  
Sydney found no problem keeping the conversation light and maintaining the guise that she was in the world of high-paced international banking - it was a role she played every day with Francie - lighthearted small talk was a mainstay in her life.  
  
"Enjoy your swim, Sydney," Amanda said. "Let's go inside and check out the movie selection, Donnie."  
  
"Good night, Sydney."  
  
"Night, Donovan."  
  
Sydney half-ran the rest of the way to the pool house, a large, windowed building 100 yards from the main house. She hadn't been lying about loving to swim - being surrounded by water and feeling it slide over her body made her feel free. Growing up, she had a pool in her backyard that she used to spend hours in, pretending to be a dolphin or a mermaid.  
  
The pool house was empty, though Sydney knew an attendant was just a buzzer away, or so Louis had informed them on the tour. A hot tub was tucked back in the furthest corner from where Sydney was standing at the door and a sauna and steam room lined the back wall.  
  
Sydney striped off her robe, dropping it on the nearest chair and kicking her flip-flops off underneath it. She checked the temperature of the water with her foot, finding it perfect, not too surprising as Mount Mercy had yet to disappoint her. Sydney stood on the edge of the pool and dove gracefully into the pool, not making much of a splash as she cut through the water.  
  
Back and forth she swam, clearing her mind of the events of the past week, month and year. So much had happened and her world had definitely spun out of its orbit but she was getting things back on track, a different track than before but at least it was more in order than the chaos that had taken her over. She amused herself by thinking that as screwed up as things were that she would qualify them as good and better than they had been - an ideal life was waiting at the end of a LONG road.  
  
By the time Sydney heard the door squeak open her thoughts had turned to Vaughn and when she came to the end of her lane she wasn't too surprised to see the man himself standing in front of her.  
  
"What took you so long," she said, looking up at a grinning Vaughn.  
  
"Please, I think you've given me a hard enough time today," Vaughn leaned down and offered Sydney his hand, "So, do you really think you could take me?"  
  
Sydney shot Vaughn a mischievous grin before taking his hand. Instead of using it to pull herself out of the water, she braced her feet against the pool wall and yanked Vaughn - robe and all - into the water with her.  
  
Vaughn broke the surface, sputtering and soaked. "Syd!"  
  
"I know I could take you," Sydney swam over to Vaughn and reached for the collar of his robe, pushing it roughly off his shoulders, "We better get this thing off of you before it takes you down with it."  
  
Sydney found the tie and undid it to make her task a little easier while Vaughn fought against his desire to take her right there in the pool. There was little doubt in his mind that she wouldn't stop him but they couldn't afford to get caught together when they were there with different people and not to mention on a CIA mission. But thinking about that certainly didn't dull his want for her.  
  
"Victory," Sydney let out a small cry as the robe floated away from Vaughn's body. A bruise was still noticeable on his side, even through the water. She reached her hand out and smoothed it over his chest and down towards his waist. "How are your ribs?"  
  
"Not hurting nearly as much as the rest of me right now," Vaughn groaned. "Sydney, we can't do this, not here where someone could see us."  
  
Sydney looked around at the empty room, not willing to let things drop so easily. The steam room was glass walls so you could see straight into it, but the sauna was entirely enclosed aside from the small window in the door. Perfect.  
  
Sydney swam back to the edge and hoisted herself out and onto her feet. "Come on, Donovan, I want to see how hot the sauna can get."  
  
Sydney opened the door to the sauna and a wall of sweltering air hit her, the room was already steaming hot. Sydney had just stepped inside when Vaughn was behind her, slipping his arms around her waist and spinning her around so her back was against the door. A small, red light next to the door provided enough light for them to look each other in the eye. Vaughn's eyes searched Sydney's face, looking for any sign to stop before things got out of hand, but he only saw the same look of desire he knew was on his own face. Pressing her against the door his lips found hers and hungrily took them in, feasting on their sweetness.  
  
The door burned against Sydney's skin, the wood had been absorbing heat all day and seemed to be releasing it into her flesh. Vaughn's mouth quickly moved down to the crook of her neck and he nibbled gently, careful not to leave a telltale mark. Sydney's skin seemed to hum wherever he touched her, which seemed to be everywhere at once.  
  
Vaughn captured Sydney's hands and he wrapped his fingers tightly around her wrists, lifting her arms over her head, and holding them against the door. Releasing his grip, Vaughn slowly ran his hands down her arms to her bare waist, fingertips skimming along. Sydney shivered under his touch.  
  
"You are so beautiful to me," Vaughn whispered, "I love you."  
  
"Vaughn, I love you, too," Sydney brought her arms down and around his neck. Taking a step forward she walked him backwards until he was the one against the wall. He gasped as his skin hit the wood. It was Sydney's turn to nip at his neck, leaving a trail of kisses from one earlobe to the other.  
  
Vaughn closed his arms around Sydney and felt the ties of her suit tickling his arm. Without giving it much thought, he grabbed the end of one and tugged on it, easily untying the knot. Sydney pulled back from Vaughn, allowing him to pull the top up and over her head, and immediately brought her mouth back to his. The kiss was filled with passion, desire and most importantly, love. Vaughn caressed Sydney's bare back, hands smooth and quick, insistent and caring.  
  
Sydney touched the band of his swim trucks, pausing for permission before slipping them over his hips and letting them fall to his ankles. Vaughn mirrored her actions with the bottom half of her suit, leaving no physical barriers between them.  
  
"You're sure you want to do this," Vaughn started.  
  
"Vaughn, I want nothing more than for this," Sydney waved her hand back and forth between herself and Vaughn, "to happen."  
  
"I mean, you're sure you want to do this here? It's not the most romantic place, or the most comfortable - who knows what you might burn in here. Don't get me wrong, I want this, I want you and hell yes, I want you right now," Vaughn grinned at Sydney, "But I don't want to screw anything up and if this is going to do that, if it's going to change things then maybe we should stop, though Lord knows I don't know if I could."  
  
Sydney gently kissed Vaughn, "Vaughn, this is going to change everything, you know that, I know that. Yes, we will have crossed a line that we can't go back over but, well, there is not a 'but'. I can only say that it is worth it - you are worth it to me. And as for romantic, you take one look at me and I feel more love than I have ever felt, with anyone, that's romance. Hell, we're already screwed up, we might was well be enjoying ourselves instead of suffering in denial. We'll figure it out as we go, I have faith in us."  
  
Instead of answering, because there was really nothing left to say, Vaughn pulled Sydney to him and hugged her tightly, burying his head in her wet hair. Sydney could feel his heart racing, matching her own frantic pulse. Vaughn placed his hands on her hips and lifted her up slightly so she could wrap her legs around his waist. Supporting both of them, he turned carefully and sat down on the bench and pushed her back onto the bench in a laying position.  
  
She had never looked lovelier as he stretched across to meet her, torso to torso, hip to hip and mouth to mouth. He gave all of himself for all of her. His eyes locked with hers as they came together - finally a complete unit, as wholly perfect as two utterly flawed humans can be.  
  
They'd worry about the consequences later, that was an inevitable, but for now they were happy to live in the moment, shutting the rest of the world out.  
  
*********  
  
Too cheesy? I dunno, you tell me. 


	8. Chapter 7

There is no way to gracefully walk out of a room after you have just made love to the person staying behind in the room. Sydney was struggling to re- tie her bikini top and extract herself from Vaughn's embrace, unable to catch her breath in the sweltering heat of the sauna.  
  
"It's getting hot in here," Vaughn mock-rapped.  
  
Sydney burst into laughter, "Oh my, Mr. Vaughn, I think it is safe to say that you should definitely stick to your day job."  
  
"Sorry, it seems like being around you makes me loose my mind," Vaughn laughed at himself, "Seriously though, I need to get out of here, I can hardly breathe."  
  
"That's exactly what I was trying to do." Sydney was cut off mid-sentence by the sound of the pool house door slamming, her eyes widening with the sound. "Shit."  
  
Taking a look through the window, Vaughn chuckled, "It's just Louis, don't worry, just follow my lead."  
  
Vaughn moved to the bench, pulling Sydney along with him. They had just sat down at opposite ends of the small room when the door swung open, bringing with it a welcome rush of cold air.  
  
"Ms. Bristow, Mr. Mitchell, I see you are enjoying the sauna, I trust everything has met your standards," Louis smiled, standing in the doorway wearing only a Speedo, "Mind if I join you in here - I like to end my evenings with a sauna and a dip in the pool. My, it's hot in here tonight."  
  
Sydney cast a sideways smile at Vaughn, "It is a little warm in here. I was just about to go jump in the pool. If you'll excuse me."  
  
"I think that is a great idea, I'm starting to turn into a prune in here." Vaughn rose to follow Sydney out the door, "Enjoy the sauna - it is quite memorable."  
  
Louis simply nodded, giving no indication that he thought the two of them alone in the sauna was a sign that anything was amiss, "Enjoy the rest of your evening."  
  
"You too, Louis," Sydney called over her shoulder as she skipped off towards the pool, diving into the deep end.  
  
Vaughn couldn't help but admire the view, watching Sydney's body slide underneath the water, breaking the smooth surface in one swift motion. She would be the death of him - one way or another.  
  
* * *  
  
Vaughn had opted not to join Sydney in the pool, knowing full well he wouldn't have been able to keep his hands off of her, despite their company in the sauna. Grabbing a towel from the stack by the door, he walked outside. The night air wrapped around his body and immediately cooled him down.  
  
The image of Louis in the Speedo had him laughing as he entered Mount Mercy, walking across the lobby to the elevators. The doors opened before him almost before he touched the call button, even the elevators were efficient. Vaughn walked inside, turned around and practically jumped out of skin when he saw Sydney standing before him.  
  
"How did you do that?"  
  
"I have my ways," Sydney's eyes crinkled in amusement, "We're on the same floor, right Donnie?"  
  
Vaughn pushed the button for their floor, his arm brushing Sydney as he reached in front of her. "That's correct, Sydney. Did you enjoy your swim?"  
  
"Yes, the water was the perfect temperature, the sauna was a little hot though," Sydney turned towards him as the doors closed in front of them, her face glowing.  
  
Vaughn threw caution to the wind for the second time that night and pressed Sydney back against the sidewall of the car, kissing her firmly. Sydney responded quickly, tongue darting out to meet his, drinking in all she could before the doors opened and they became almost-strangers again.  
  
"Syd, you are too much," Vaughn stepped backwards, "It's a good thing we have a little outing planned for tonight, I don't think I could sleep to save my life."  
  
"I think you took the words right out of my mouth," Sydney smiled impishly, "Let me have them back."  
  
Sydney reached out and used the towel around Vaughn's waist to pull him back to her, crushing her mouth against his. Vaughn's ran his hands up her sides and into her hair, pulling it away from her face.  
  
It was Sydney's turn to pull away, but not before she ran her hand under the lower part of his abdomen that was covered by the towel, smiling as his muscles quivering at her touch. "No regrets." It was a statement as much as it was a question.  
  
"No regrets," Vaughn tilted his forehead to touch Sydney's.  
  
The ding of the elevator reaching their floor sent Vaughn flying to the opposite side of the elevator. Sydney stifled a giggle as the doors opened to reveal Murphy, their veritable hall monitor.  
  
"Good evening, Ms. Bristow, Mr. Mitchell, I see you have been down to our pool house, I hope everything was perfect."  
  
"Absolutely," Vaughn nodded, "A man could get spoiled staying at this place."  
  
Sydney simply shook her head in agreement, walking away from the two men as they exchanged pleasantries, hearing Murphy tell Vaughn that the weather report called for a clear night with a slight breeze, reminding her she needed to set a time with Vaughn to meet later  
  
"Good night, Donnie, please give my best to Julia," Sydney called back to them as she reached her door, "I hope we'll see you in the morning, tell Julia I should be ready for shopping around 2:30."  
  
Vaughn acknowledged Sydney's signal for a rendezvous time with a small nod, "I'll be sure to tell her. Sleep well, see you in the morning."  
  
Vaughn could not have spoken truer words as 2:30 a.m. was technically morning and at 4 ½ hours away it would be just long enough time for a nap before she had to get up and prepare for their exploration into the woods.  
  
The door before her swung open, flooding light into the darkened room. The TV was muted; Sydney recognized the movie as "Reality Bites," one of her favorite movies from high school. Will was sacked out on the bed, his head unnaturally resting on his chest. Closing the door behind her, Sydney used the light from the television to find her way around the room, a task she could have executed in the dark - another joy of her near-photographic memory. Quiet snores rose from the bed, seeming infinitely loud in the silent room.  
  
Sydney smiled remembering the time she and Francie had both been awakened in the middle of the night by Will's snoring, amplified by the three bottles of wine they had split earlier that night. Will had basically passed out on their couch and was oblivious as they tickled his nose with fringe from a throw pillow, cascading into fits of silent laughter as he scrunched up his face and snored even louder than before each time they ran the pillow over his face. She was still in training at SD-6 at that time, she hadn't even gone out on a field assignment. Poor Will, he was still an innocent when it came to all this, caught up in drama of her life.  
  
Sydney grabbed a pair of pajamas from her things and went into the bathroom to change. Looking at herself in the mirror, Sydney couldn't help but smile, thoughts of Will and Francie suddenly a million miles away. Her back was still bright red from being pressed against the heat-soaked wood of the sauna bench and she literally ached to have Vaughn inside her again. After tonight she had another thing to add to the list of reasons she was fighting to take down SD-6: More nights with Vaughn, nights that didn't have to end when the doors opened.  
  
* * *  
  
2:30 a.m. came all too soon for Sydney - she had barely closed her eyes when she felt her alarm vibrating against her arm. Marshall had created the alarm for her, a small band that fit snuggly around her wrist, battery-free so she never had to worry about it not working and best of all: minus the horrible beeping noise she hated being woken by. She liked the token so much she had had it checked out by the CIA and they deemed it bug- and tracker-free so she was able to take it on missions for the government as well.  
  
Will was still out on the bed next to her, though in a much more comfortable position since she had tugged his body down the bed making it so his head wasn't propped against the headboard any longer. He had rolled onto his stomach, flopping one arm over Sydney's abdomen shortly after midnight, a gesture Sydney had let pass - what he didn't know didn't hurt him. Sliding out from under his arm and onto the floor, Sydney walked into the bathroom, the carpet soft on her bare feet. She was careful to shut the door before turning on the blinding light.  
  
Turning on the cold water, she leaned down to splash water over her face, her trusted remedy for waking up, she couldn't afford to be tired tonight. She dressed quickly, black turtleneck, black pants and a black down vest, she was the picture of the perfect double agent on a mission. The pin and earpiece Vaughn had given her at the warehouse completed the look.  
  
"Good morning, Agent Bristow," Vaughn's voice interrupted her thoughts.  
  
"How did you know I was up?"  
  
"I heard the water running and thought I would take a chance it was you and not Will getting ready for our outing," Sydney could hear Vaughn smile, "Are you ready to go?"  
  
"I just have to get my flashlight and shoes," Sydney took a last look in the mirror and pulled a black knit cap over her ponytailed hair, "I'll meet you outside in five."  
  
"Sounds good, I'll patch us into central command so they can start monitoring our comm pieces  
  
A few minutes later Sydney was standing on Vaughn's balcony, waiting for him to come out. The slider came open revealing a figure dressed identically to her.  
  
"Now this is embarrassing," Sydney whispered, causing Vaughn to jump.  
  
"Shit, you scared me, how did you get over here? And what's embarrassing," Vaughn asked, turning around, "Oh, I see, nice outfit, we must shop at the same place."  
  
"Who knew Gap had a line of clothing for spies," Sydney smiled, "I climbed over, I figured it was probably a better idea to only have one rope coming down from a balcony."  
  
Vaughn looked a the twelve foot gap between their balconies, connected by a narrow ledge and shook his head, "Next time we risk having two ropes, it's easier to explain than having a guest, dressed in black, lying on the ground with a broken leg underneath her room."  
  
Sydney rolled her eyes as she grabbed the rope from Vaughn, securing it to the cement railing. They each put on their harnesses and climbed over to the outside of the rail.  
  
"Ladies first," Vaughn motioned, earning himself another eye roll "I insist."  
  
Sydney hooked her harness to the rope and lowered herself soundlessly to the ground. Vaughn was right behind her.  
  
"Boy scout and Freelancer clear," Vaughn whispered, indicating to his other partner that it was all right to pull up the rope.  
  
"How would she have gotten my rope up," Sydney inquired.  
  
"She probably would have called Will, I don't know, she's resourceful."  
  
Sydney and Vaughn ran along the edge of the building to the line of trees that ran out to the edge of the property, creating a natural barrier from the front lawn to the back, it was also perfect cover for them to get into the woods and to their waiting vehicle, stowed earlier by an agent from the local office.  
  
Vaughn unlocked the truck, revealing quite the arsenal of equipment. He grabbed two guns and handed them to Sydney, adding a pair of night vision goggles and a night vision camera - their first trip out was to see what the fuss was all about and then determine their action plan. Taking the same supplies for himself as well as a satellite phone in case they were discovered and couldn't communicate with Amanda back at Mount Mercy, Vaughn shut the trunk and started around to the driver's side of the car. Sydney raised her eyebrow at him and held her hand out for the keys; Vaughn paused, considering his options. Then he tossed the keys in her direction, to hell with his bruised ego, she was the better field agent and she probably had the route out to the scene memorized.  
  
Sydney had, in fact, committed the entire map of the area to memory and was able to maneuver the car near where the first agent had lost whomever it was that he was trailing. Parking the car in spot hidden from the road, Sydney grabbed Vaughn's hand and squeezed it, careful to say nothing, aware of the squad of agents monitoring their mission. Vaughn smiled at Sydney, keeping his emotions in check; they may have been lovers hours before but at this moment they were doing something that couldn't be hindered by passion or feelings, even love.  
  
"Boy Scout and Freelancer are at point, ready to go in," Sydney spoke softly into the air.  
  
Vaughn and Sydney both heard the go-ahead; agents had been monitoring any movements in the area, aware of anything out of the ordinary. The two agents ran along the side of the road a mile and a half, ready to dive into the brush at the first sign of company. The road split, a dirt road going off to the right leading away from the paved section, at the end of it, their destination. Sydney signaled for Vaughn to cross around go on the other side of the road from her, each of them traveling a few yards into the woods, away from the road between them.  
  
Ten minutes later they approached a clearing, three buildings created a triangle in the center with a fourth standing off to the right, near the edge of the woods. Now they would wait. They didn't know what they would find, but if there were guards patrolling or any other activity they would be there to document it so they would be prepared for the following night.  
  
"Boy Scout, Freelancer," Jack's voice rang in their ear, "One of the same planes that has been spotted in the harbor has landed again in Bar Harbor, it looks like you will have company in an hour or so."  
  
"Freelancer and Boy Scout on target," Sydney motioned for Vaughn to move around to the back of the clearing, out of the sight of any incoming activity, "Standing by."  
  
As if on cue, an outdoor light over of the buildings flickered on, filling the clearing with a pale yellow light and sending Vaughn and Sydney to the ground, out of sight. A breeze whistled through the trees overhead, causing the leaves to twitter, welcome cover noise for the two hidden agents.  
  
It wasn't long before movement could be heard from within two of the houses, they were certainly getting ready for company since it was unlikely the occupants were getting up before dawn for their health. Sydney took advantage of Mother Nature's sound cover and darted around through the woods taking pictures of the buildings and the surrounding area, noting nothing out of the ordinary, aside from a notable lack of vehicles - it looked like a small camp tucked away in the New England forest, easily overlooked, seemingly innocent.  
  
It wasn't long before Sydney could hear the rumble of a car turning onto the dirt road.  
  
"We've got company," Vaughn's voice came through her earpiece.  
  
A SVU came into view and pulled up to the front nearest building, the engine cut off abruptly. Before the occupants exited their auto, Sydney heard the door to the building she was slightly behind open and footsteps crunched on the gravel.  
  
"Glad you could make it," the familiar British accent floated through the night air, muted slightly by the wind, "I trust your travels went well."  
  
Sydney shifted, ready to snap a photo when Sark came into view. The driver's side door opened and a woman got out, her face obscured by a baseball cap, dark brown hair swinging out from underneath it. She was unfamiliar to Sydney, and unexpected - there wasn't any information about Sark working with or for a woman, only "The Man."  
  
"Have the others unload the car while we go inside and discuss our plans," the woman said, taking Sark's outstretched hand, "There's much to be done."  
  
Sydney took pictures as two men came out from the building with the light on and unloaded a large boxe from the back of the vehicle. They carried it to the building that was outside of the formation and closest to the trees. Vaughn had positioned himself near the structure and Sydney had her gun trained on the head of the larger of the two men.  
---- Thanks so much for reading, you'll have to wait and see what happens. Sorry it has taken so long in getting back into the story. So much has happened this year (on the show and in my life) but I am glad to come back to it. It is different from what has happened on TV, but I am glad to take a stab at a different story line. 


End file.
